Immediate Release:
Contact: Greg Hittelman, +1 310 717-0606, [email protected]
24 September 2014 — This Thursday, world leaders at the 69th UN General Assembly convene a meeting on the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. In spite of nine months of negotiations led by a nine-country regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), fighting in the world’s youngest nation is expected to intensify in the coming months, with deadly consequences for millions.
A new Enough Project report exposes leaders committed to a military solution in South Sudan due to corruption and self-interest. The report, “SPOILS OF WAR, SPOILERS OF PEACE,” further reveals how IGAD has failed to take action on promised punitive measures, and urges regionally and globally enforced targeted sanctions against those undermining the peace process.
Justine Fleischner, author of the report, and the Enough Project’s Sudan and South Sudan Policy Consultant, said: "While the focus at the UN General Assembly is on South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, that crisis is a direct result of the war. With 1.7 million people forced to flee their homes and 4 million threatened by starvation, continued regional inaction on punitive measures against South Sudan's warring parties will be deadly.”
Fleischner reinforced one of the report’s key recommendations: "In South Sudan, polling carried out by domestic firms with international support could provide critical information to the mediation process and amplify the voices of those most marginalized by South Sudan's warring elites.”
John Prendergast, Founding Director of the Enough Project, said: "Targeted, biting sanctions and other focused pressures are the best hope for altering the calculations of the conflicting parties from war to peace. IGAD's credibility is at stake, particularly if it issues another threat and extends another deadline. At the end of the current 45 day extension in mid-October, in the absence of a deal, it will be time to seize the homes, bank accounts and shell companies of anyone undermining the peace process or committing gross human rights abuses."
Akshaya Kumar, Sudan and South Sudan Policy Analyst at the Enough Project, said: “After many years of unabashed corruption, making a commitment to tracking down ill-gotten gains could be a game changer in South Sudan. If the people who stole money know that the world's best investigators are on the case, they will stop using those monies to finance this war.”
Link to the full report “Spoils of War, Spoilers of Peace: Changing the Calculus of South Sudan’s Deadly Conflict”: http://eno.ug/1mRJKzO
For media inquiries and to arrange an interview with the report author, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, +1 310 717-0606, [email protected]
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The Enough Project is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on the crises in Sudan, South Sudan, eastern Congo, and areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough conducts intensive field research, develops practical policies to address these crises, and shares sensible tools to empower citizens and groups working for change. To learn more: www.enoughproject.org.