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Report Exposes Mass-Scale Human Suffering in Nuba Mountains, Sudan

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Report Exposes Mass-Scale Human Suffering in Nuba Mountains, Sudan

Posted by Enough Team on November 20, 2014

Researchers Detail Devastating Consequences of Sudan Government’s War on Civilians

November 20, 2014 (Washington DC) — A new report published today by the Enough Project details widespread human suffering due to the Sudan government's three-year military campaign targeting civilians living in the Nuba Mountains.

At significant personal risk, the researchers who prepared the report “Life under Siege: South Kordofan Needs Assessment,” conducted a detailed assessment of living conditions of the people in rebel-controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains. Aid workers, journalists and UN agencies are forbidden by the Sudan government from entering these areas located in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan.

Commenting on the report, John Prendergast, Founding Director of the Enough Project, said: “Whether it’s rape in Tabit or starvation in the Nuba Mountains, even in the face of mushrooming accusations, Sudan's government relies on blanket denials. Research like this helps challenge those misrepresentations and highlight the ongoing atrocity crimes in these areas.”

The Enough Project also released today “Extermination by Design: The Case for Crimes against Humanity in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains,” a policy brief by Enough Project’s Akshaya Kumar, commenting on the humanitarian report.

Akshaya Kumar, Sudan and South Sudan policy analyst at the Enough Project, and author of the policy brief, said: “By banning aid workers from doing humanitarian work in the area and bombing those who dare to defy its edict, Sudan's government is trying to make it impossible for civilians to continue living in rebel controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains. This must be understood as an extermination, a crime against humanity.”

Key indicators of the humanitarian crisis detailed by the report include:

  • 70% of displaced households are consistently experiencing moderate or severe hunger.
  • 53% percent of those surveyed in South Kordofan stated that the children in their home were not attending school regularly.
  • 54% percent claim that their primary source dries up at some point during the year.
  • 47% have to walk more than five kilometers to reach a health facility.
  • 66% of households stated that their child had malaria in the preceding four weeks.
  • 70% of households stated that their primary barrier to food security was the insecurity caused by the violence.

Due to concerns for their safety, the report’s authors and organization are withheld. The report is published by the Enough Project as part of “Enough Forum,” a platform for dynamic discourse engaging critical issues, challenges and questions among thought leaders, field researchers and policy experts. Opinions and statements in Enough Forum papers and reports are those of the authors and participants in the forum, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy recommendations of the Enough Project.

Link to the Enough Forum report, “Life under Siege: South Kordofan Needs Assessment”: http://eno.ug/1uXA8oR

Link to the Enough Project policy brief, “Extermination by Design: The Case for Crimes against Humanity in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains”: http://eno.ug/1F4RDoq

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with an Enough Project spokesperson, 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, Central African Republic, 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.