Security Council alarmed by Sudan crisis

The Security Council has voiced alarm at the rising levels of malnutrition and food shortages in parts of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan, saying the situation could deteriorate further if international humanitarian personnel are not given access to carry out assessments and deliver aid.The Council, in a press statement, called on the Sudanese Government to give United Nations humanitarian personnel immediate access to areas of the two states where people are in need of assistance. The 15-member UN body urged both the authorities in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to cooperate fully with the UN and other relief organizations to ensure that people receive the help they need, as required under international humanitarian law. Members of the Security Council encouraged the UN to strengthen engagement with the African Union (AU) and League of Arab States to ensure that the humanitarian crisis in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile is addressed. The Council urged the Sudanese Government and the SPLM-N to resume peace talks to address issues that have fuelled conflict in the two states and to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities. It reiterated its support for efforts by the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), the Ethiopian Government and the UN to resolve the conflict. Members of the Council underscored the need for the two sides to urgently address security arrangements on the basis of the principles of the framework agreement reached on 28 June last year, including relevant disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of armed elements of the SPLM-N. “Any disarmament shall be done in accordance with agreed upon plans and without resorting to force,” they added. Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, which lie on the border between Sudan and its newly-independent neighbour, South Sudan, are the scene of fighting pitting Sudanese forces against the SPLM-N, which was previously part of the rebel movement that fought for the independence of South Sudan. The conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people with many of them fleeing to South Sudan and Ethiopia.