Enough Project to Testify on Crisis before Congress this Friday
July 8, 2015 – South Sudan marks the fourth anniversary of its independence this Thursday, July 9th. The world’s newest nation is locked in a devastating civil war that has displaced 2 million people and left almost half the population without enough food to eat. In conflict-affected areas, UN and relief agencies report burned villages, killings, rape, abductions, and targeted attacks on civilians, including on women and children.
John Prendergast, Founding Director of the Enough Project said: “Even as the people of South Sudan celebrate their country’s independence today, it is clear that their leaders have squandered the opportunity independence presented them with just 4 years ago. South Sudan has now spent 40% of the time it has been independent mired in a brutal internecine war triggered by a power struggle among a handful of elites, and now 40% of the country needs emergency food aid to survive. This is not the future that South Sudan’s people aspired towards during their decades’ long civil war, and this is not the future they deserve.”
Link to recent op-ed by George Clooney, John Prendergast, and Akshaya Kumar, “Sanctions Threats Are Not Enough in South Sudan”
US Congress to Hear Enough Project Testimony
This Friday, Akshaya Kumar, Enough Project Sudan and South Sudan Analyst, will testify to the US Congress on “The Current Human Rights Situation in South Sudan.” At the hearing before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Kumar will join Ambassador Susan Page, Special Advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Department of State; Linda Etim, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Africa Bureau, USAID; and representatives from Amnesty International and Catholic Relief Services.
For details on the Lantos Commission hearing, visit: http://eno.ug/1S9ey8B
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, +1 310-717-0606, [email protected]
###
ABOUT THE ENOUGH PROJECT
For media use, short version: “The Enough Project, an atrocity prevention research and policy group.”
The Enough Project is a project of the Center for American Progress aiming to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on the crises in Sudan, South Sudan, eastern Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia, and areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough conducts intensive field research in conflict zones, develops practical policies to address these crises, and shares sensible tools to empower citizens and groups working for change. For more information, visit www.EnoughProject.org