America.gov (Washington, DC)
Stephen Kaufman
17 June 2009
Washington, DC — Humanitarian aid to Sudan has been restored following the government's expulsion in March of some aid organizations, but the U.S. special envoy for Sudan says the suffering of refugees in camps is continuing and there is much to be done to improve the situation ahead of national elections and a referendum on southern Sudanese independence.
"Our focus right now is to save lives," Special Envoy Scott Gration told reporters at the State Department June 17. "We have a situation where the lives of many people are at risk, whether they're in Darfur or whether they're in the three areas of southern Kordofan, Abyei and the Blue Nile."
To stabilize the situation, the United States is working to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian aid organizations, as well as helping coordinate a cease-fire that would allow internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes.
The Sudanese government expelled 13 aid groups in March, accusing them of cooperating with the International Criminal Court on the court's war crimes indictment of President Omar al-Bashir. However, Gration said three new nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) recently have been allowed into the country and the levels of food and other services largely have been restored to the levels that existed prior to the expulsions.
Gration said that some of the aid levels currently are not sustainable because they are being implemented through emergency methods. "But with the new NGOs that are going back in right now, we believe we'll be able to sustain these operations and actually get more capacity than we had," he said.
The United States has been discussing the return of NGOs with Sudan. Although the 13 groups that were expelled will not be allowed back, Gration said that along with allowing in three new organizations, the Sudanese government has improved the operating environment for the aid workers "in terms of visas, in terms of technical agreements, in terms of making the operations more effective."
"We are pleased to see that the words that they have given us have turned into deeds, and that's what we're holding them accountable to do," he said.
The special envoy said violence against IDPs is continuing from bandits, Janjaweed militias and warlords, but "it doesn't appear that it is a coordinated effort that was similar to what we had in 2003 to 2006," which had led the United States to describe the situation as genocide.
"What we see are the consequences of genocide, the results of genocide. We still have thousands of people living in tents as IDPs. We have women who are still afraid to go out and collect firewood. And we have children that are not having the benefits of growing up in their homeland, but are growing up in these camps," Gration said.
A cease-fire and political process are now needed to improve the lives of the IDPs "so these people have the right to return voluntarily, to wherever they choose, and that they can live out their lives in ... safety and security and dignity," he said.
Gration said the international community is facing a "tight timeline" on the political front, with national elections scheduled for February 2010 and a referendum to determine the future of Abyei and of Southern Sudan scheduled for January 2011.
"We're now approaching the point where we need to get into the sprint mode, where we need to get everybody together, coordinated, on the same sheet of music," Gration said.
On June 23, more than 30 countries and organizations will gather in Washington in support of Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to discuss how to implement the national elections.
"Within the CPA there's requirements for the international community to participate as monitors and to take an active role. And, of course, that process is going to be the same process that we'll be using for the referendum ... that will allow the people of Abyei and the people of Southern Sudan to decide whether they want to be a unified country or an independent country," he said.
Asked about his talks with Chinese officials, Gration said the United States and China share similar goals of security and stability in Sudan. "We come at it from different sides. But the end results are the same. And so we've reached agreement to share information, to work together, to integrate our activities on the humanitarian front," he said.
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