The letter below came to us from Act for Sudan. The instructions were as follows:
I hope you will join me in signing on to this Act for Sudan letter to the UNSC asking it to impose severe sanctions on the Government of Sudan if it does not allow access for humanitarian aid to the Nuba Mountains/Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile State. The text of the letter is included at the bottom of this email.
To sign on, please send the following information to Esther Sprague at esprague11@yahoo.com:
Name, Title
Organization
City, State, Country
June 6, 2012
Dear Members of the United Nations Security Council,
We write because of our dire concern for the people of the Nuba Mountains/Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile State who face imminent death by violence and starvation orchestrated by the Government of Sudan.
While we welcome United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046, which has succeeded in resuming negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan and has facilitated the removal of troops from Abyei, the ongoing violence and lack of humanitarian aid in the two areas has not been addressed.
UNSC Resolution 2046 “strongly urges Sudan and the SPLM-N to accept the tripartite proposal…to permit humanitarian access to the affected populations in the two areas.” The SPLM-N has signed the proposal and has repeatedly agreed to the cessation of hostilities on the basis of humanitarian grounds; however, the Government of Sudan continues to bomb and attack the areas and to refuse access for humanitarian aid.
UNSC Resolution states that if the parties do not comply with the Resolution, the UNSC agrees “to take appropriate additional measures under Article 41 of the Charter as necessary.”
We recognize the tenuous nature of negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan and all that is at stake. However, the people of the Nuba Mountains/Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile State must not be sacrificed in order to appease the Government of Sudan. Furthermore, the Government of Sudan's blatant and longstanding disregard and abuse of its citizens clearly defines the nature of that government and calls into question its sincerity in pursuing and abiding by any outcome of negotiations between the two countries.
Rather than allowing the Government of Sudan to hold both countries and the international community hostage, we urge the United Nations Security Council to follow through with severe sanctions and other powerful consequences if the Government of Sudan does not allow immediate access for humanitarian aid as outlined in the tri-partite proposal. We recommend a deadline of June 14, 2012, which is the third scheduled review by the UNSC of implementation of the Resolution.
For one year, the international community has had the opportunity to address the crises in Nuba Mountains/Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile State. People are starving to death and dying violent deaths because the choice was made not to intervene. This approach cannot continue if the United Nations hopes to preserve its credibility. Resolution 2046 is a step in the right direction. For the sake of peace and stability in Sudan, South Sudan and the region, please do not back down now.
Signed by:
