A Crisis Looms Large in Darfur

Yesterday the United Nations and the Government of Sudan released a joint assessment that begins to calculate the enormous humanitarian implications that expelling thirteen aid groups from Sudan will have on civilians in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur region. The estimates are grim: more than a million people will go without food rations by May and water could run out in some camps for internally displaced persons within weeks. Human Rights First has called on the Government of Sudan to reinstate the 13 aid groups it expelled and three national agencies it dissolved. We have also urged the U.S. government, the League of Arab States and the African Union to do more to help resolve the approaching humanitarian emergency that is being orchestrated by the Sudanese government.

Discouragingly, the United Nations Security Council has failed to take decisive action on the expulsion of the aid groups, thereby once again failing to protect civilians in Darfur. Deep divisions within the Council continue to prevent the robust response that is warranted. One hopes that the assessment released yesterday will compel Sudan’s traditional allies on the Security Council such as China, Russia and Libya to put their political allegiances aside and do all they can to pressure Khartoum to reverse the expulsion orders.

New Special Envoy for Sudan Appointed by Obama

Human Rights First welcomes the appointment of retired Air Force General Scott Gration as President Obama's special envoy for Sudan. The organization has been pressing for the appointment of a special envoy since President Obama arrived to office. We hope that Mr. Gration’s mandate is able to address issues related to Sudan in Chad and the Central African Republic; without such a mandate his work will be compromised. The issues Mr. Gration must address with urgency include:
- Pressing the Government of Sudan to reinstate the thirteen aid organizations it expelled and three national agencies it dissolved in Sudan;
- Ensuring that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan gets back on track;
- Helping to facilitate the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur—called UNAMID—and enhancing its impact on the ground;
- Supporting the Darfur peace process being headed by UN-AU joint chief mediator Djibril Bassole.

Khartoum Must Allow Aid Organizations to Fully Resume Operations in Sudan

Speculation has been building for weeks as to whether or not Sudanese president General Omar al-Bashir would retaliate if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest. Today, shortly after the ICC announced an arrest warrant for al-Bashir, the Government of Sudan began revoking the operating licenses for some of the humanitarian aid organizations providing life-saving relief to civilians in Darfur.

This is an extremely disturbing development that potentially threatens the lives of millions of people in Darfur and, indeed, throughout Sudan. It is critically important that the international community (in particular the permanent members of the Security Council— the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia) express outrage at the Government of Sudan’s actions and demand that it reinstate the operating licenses for the aid organizations. Of equal importance is the need for the international community to make clear that the Sudanese Government’s actions are not the fault of the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for General al-Bashir. Rather, these actions further confirm the need for justice and accountability at the highest levels of the Government of Sudan for the atrocities that have been committed in Darfur.

The Government of Sudan has been in diplomatic overdrive for the past few months, mounting a robust campaign to pressure the Security Council to defer the ICC's proceedings against General al-Bashir. Khartoum's decision to revoke the operating licenses of some aid organizations appears to be the latest pernicious manifestation of that campaign. It would be a serious mistake for the Security Council to take Khartoum’s bait and make such a tradeoff as it would only further empower the government. Indeed, the Government of Sudan has been effectively running circles around the international community for years on matters related to humanitarian aid and civilian protection in Darfur and it must end.

Below are statements released by two aid organizations that were notified today by the Government of Sudan that their operating licenses had been revoked.

Oxfam Great Britain:
International aid agency Oxfam GB confirmed that the Sudanese government today (4 March 2009) revoked its licence to operate in northern Sudan. The agency said it is appealing the decision and hopes the matter can be resolved quickly. The agency urged the Government of Sudan to allow it to continue its vital humanitarian efforts, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives.

Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's International Director, said:

"If Oxfam's registration is revoked, it will affect more than 600,000 Sudanese people whom we provide with vital humanitarian and development aid, including clean water and sanitation on a daily basis. 400,000 of them are affected by the ongoing conflict in Darfur - where people continue to flee from violence and the humanitarian needs remain enormous. It will also affect another 200,000 poor people in the east of the country and Khartoum state."

Oxfam GB has operated in northern Sudan since 1983 and currently has 450 staff, 90% of whom are Sudanese. Oxfam is an independent, impartial non-governmental organisation, with absolutely no links to the ICC. Oxfam does not have an opinion on the Court's activities, and our sole focus is meeting humanitarian and development needs in Sudan.

Save the Children UK:
Ken Caldwell, Save the Children UK’s director of international operations, said:

“Save the Children UK has received a letter from the Sudanese authorities asking us to suspend our operations in Sudan. This has very worrying implications for the 50,000 children we are currently supporting in Khartoum and the north-east of the country. These are some of Sudan’s most vulnerable children - many are living in camps having been forced to flee their homes by the ongoing conflict.

“Save the Children UK is providing essential support to these children and their families, helping to protect them from abuse, get them access to clean water and get them back into school. We don’t know what the outcome of these developments will be, but we do know that if we are forced to stop our work the lives of thousands of children could be at risk.”

Security Council Must Respond Strongly to Bombing in South Darfur

Below is a press release issued by Human Rights First responding to the recent Sudanese government bombing in South Darfur.

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HRF Condemns Government Bombing and Ongoing Violence in Civilian Areas in South Darfur

New York, January 23, 2008 – Human Rights First strongly condemns the ongoing fighting by rebel factions around the town of Muhajariya in South Darfur and the Sudanese air force’s bombing raids in the area last week.

“The current outbreak of violence in South Darfur demonstrates the failure of the Government of Sudan and rebel movements to respect their obligations under previous ceasefire agreements and existing Security Council resolutions. The Security Council must respond strongly to this violence,” said Julia Fromholz, Interim Director of HRF’s Crimes Against Humanity program,

“The Darfur arms embargo provides the Council with a range of options for punitive measures on all parties to the conflict. For example, the Council could expand the embargo to cover all of Sudan as well as Chad and northern parts of the Central African Republic, thus cutting off the arms supplies that fuel the fighting.”

HRF also urges the Security Council to enforce the existing embargo by imposing significant penalties, including travel bans and asset freezes, on individuals from both sides of the conflict who have violated it. The Council should place similar sanctions on individuals who impede the peace process and commit violations of international law.

To curb the Government of Sudan’s capacity to continue bombing in civilian areas, the Council should prohibit the transfer of fighter aircraft, such as those used in this week’s attack, into Darfur. And to reduce the flow of arms into the region, it should place an aviation ban on cargo companies that transport weapons, and should ensure that UNAMID is immediately equipped with an arms embargo-monitoring cell.

Additionally, last week’s bombings come just weeks before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir, proving yet again that the government of Sudan’s rhetoric of peace in Darfur is not borne out by its actions.

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber is expected to decide in the coming weeks on the Prosecutors request for an arrest warrant for President Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Since the submission of the Prosecutor’s request in July 2008, Sudan has engaged in a campaign to persuade the world that it is committed to peace and that the Security Council should use its authority under the ICC’s founding statute to suspend the investigation. Last week’s attacks demonstrate the shallowness of Sudan’s commitment to peace, and Human Rights First strongly urges all Security Council member states to unite in opposing efforts to suspend the case.

The United States government should use its voice and vote at the Security Council to push for enforcement and expansion of the Darfur arms embargo, and to resist attempts to obstruct the ICC investigation.

HRF Makes Rare Presentation Before U.N. Committee on Darfur Arms Embargo

On December 12th Julia Fromholz, Interim Director of the Crimes Against Humanity Program, made a rare presentation before the U.N. Security Council's Sudan Sanctions Committee detailing the organization's findings surrounding ongoing violations to the Darfur arms embargo. Fromholz also presented recommendations on what steps the Committee and Council can take to enforce and strengthen the embargo. You can read the full statement made before the Committee by clicking on the link below.
HRF%20Sanctions%20Committee%20briefing%2012.12.08.pdf

New U.N. Panel Report Finds "Flagrant Violations" to Darfur Arms Embargo

Yesterday the U.N. Panel of Experts that monitors implementation of the Darfur arms embargo released its latest report that details flagrant violations to the embargo by all parties to the conflict. You can read the 93-page report by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. Below is the statement issued by Human Rights First calling on the Security Council to take immediate action to enforce the embargo.

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Human Rights First Press Statement

Rights Group: Security Council Should Immediately Enforce Darfur Arms Embargo

New York, NY –In response to a new report from the United Nations Security Council’s Sudan Panel of Experts citing “flagrant violations” to the Darfur arms embargo by all parties to the conflict, Human Rights First called on the U.N. Security Council to take immediate and strong steps to enforce that embargo.

“Given the Security Council’s refusal to act on previous reports of blatant and widespread violations, no one should be surprised by the gross embargo violations described in this report,” stated Julia Fromholz, interim director of the Crimes Against Humanity Program at Human Rights First. “The failure of the Council to take robust action against violators of the embargo—the Government of Sudan, rebel groups, and their suppliers—aggravates the violations themselves by signaling to suppliers and belligerents that they may operate with impunity.”

Human Rights First is calling for more international attention to be paid to those countries supplying arms to all belligerents to the conflict in Darfur. The rights organization has reported that more than 30 countries have supplied the Government of Sudan with weapons or related material since the Security Council established the embargo. China and Russia—permanent members of the Security Council—are two of the largest arms suppliers to Khartoum. Governments that send weapons to Sudan with knowledge that Khartoum is violating the embargo are failing to comply with the embargo.

“The surest way to stem the flow of weapons into Darfur is to convince weapons suppliers to halt their sales,” Fromholz observed. “This aspect of the violence in Darfur—and in the region, including Chad and the Central African Republic—has received too little attention from the international community. That must change.”

The new U.N. report comes as peace negotiations in the region are stalled, while violence against civilians, humanitarian aid workers, and peacekeepers continues unabated. The unwillingness of belligerents to come to the table for serious negotiations cannot be separated from the continuing supply of weapons to them.

“It is difficult to imagine a sustainable peace in Darfur when other countries continue to supply the Government of Sudan and the rebel groups with weapons. Drying up the flow of weapons to Darfur will not ensure peace, but it would shift the political dynamics in the right direction,” Fromholz stated.

Nov%202008%20Sudan%20Panel%20of%20Experts%20Report.pdf

Reports of New Weapons Deal Between Russia and Sudan

Recent reports in the media allege that the Russian Federation has sold 12 MiG-29 fighter jets to the Government of Sudan. Human Rights First has sent a letter to the Russian government asking it to clarify whether or not the sale was concluded and, if so, what steps the Russian government is taking to ensure that the fighter jets are not being used in Darfur in violation of the United Nations imposed Darfur arms embargo. You can read the full HRF press statement on the matter here.