Sudan Ambassador Misleading Public About Situation in Sudan and Latest Enough Project Strategy Paper

For Immediate Release 
December 1, 2009

Contact 
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376 
[email protected]

Sudan Ambassador Misleading Public About Situation in Sudan and Latest Enough Project Strategy Paper

WASHINGTON, D.C– The statement by Sudan's U.N. Ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, in reaction to our new report demonstrates the dangerous self-constructed reality in which the National Congress Party (NCP) continues to live. We are concerned by the Ambassador’s statements which demonstrate Khartoum’s continued efforts to downplay the dire situation on the ground in Sudan, undermine existing negotiations, and sidestep its primary responsibility for this state of affairs.

The situation in Darfur and the South is deteriorating, and diplomatic efforts have not clearly addressed the fact that the ruling NCP continues to undermine prospects for peace.  The most salient facts include:

• Violence against civilians continues unabated in Darfur and in southern Sudan, and the ruling National Congress Party, or NCP, continues to act in bad faith and undermine lasting peace in Sudan.
• In Darfur, relief organizations clearly do not have access to large areas of territory, and those that do have access to vulnerable populations no longer publicize their assessments for fear of expulsion. 
• The NCP is blocking the establishment of conditions for free and fair elections and seeks to undermine a self-determination referendum scheduled for 2011.
• Inter-communal violence in southern Sudan is increasing, with growing evidence that Khartoum’s divide and destroy policies are partly to blame.
• Reform of Sudan’s draconian national security law has yet to occur, despite persistent attempts by the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement, or SPLM, to revise the law in advance of voter registration.
• The NCP refuses to accept reforms to the bill that would limit the powers of the Khartoum regime’s national security service, or NISS, to arbitrarily arrest and detain people, one of many repressive practices against civilians protected by this law.
• The NCP, after publicly and repeatedly promising to uphold and implement the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the boundaries of Abyei, is now deliberately obstructing demarcation of these boundaries. By blocking funding to the demarcation team and by fueling insecurity on the ground in Abyei in order to prevent the team from physically demarcating the formerly contested northern boundaries of the region, the NCP is clearly failing to keep its promise to implement the arbitration court’s ruling.

Enough Co-Founder John Prendergast elaborates, “As the United States considers its options going forward, it is essential that the reality of the present situation on the ground be fully understood. We stand by our assessment and reiterate the need for the international community – led by the Obama administration – to introduce credible pressures on any party that is obstructing peace in Sudan.  At this juncture, the party primarily responsible for continuing conflict in Darfur and the possibility of renewed conflict in the South and Nuba Mountains is the National Congress Party.  The point of these pressures is precisely the opposite of the warmongering of which Sudan’s ambassador accuses us.  These pressures should be applied now in support of serious negotiations to resolve Darfur’s war and prevent the resumption of war between North and South.”

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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, contact Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376; [email protected].

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