Press Release
the United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs
The SPLMN Representative to the United States Anwar Elhaj and the Deputy Representative Philip Tutu and after consultations with the Chairman Malik Agar and Secretary General Yasir Arman met on Wednesday January 18th, 2012 with the Office of Baroness Valerie Amos, the United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs in New York. The meeting discusses the following points.
1- The office of Baroness Amos, gave a detailed briefing on Baroness Amos recent visit to Sudan and the outcome of her meeting with the Minister of social welfare.
2- The meeting discussed the briefing given by the Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs, on Tuesday January 17th, 2012, to United Nation Security Council meeting.
3- The SPLMN briefed the Baroness Amos Office on the grave humanitarian crisis in the South Kordofan / Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile States especially the internally displaced population in the SPLMN controlled areas.
4- The SPLMN affirmed its position that negotiations about the humanitarian assistance to the IDPs in South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile States, need to follow a tripartite approach that includes the United Nation, the SPLMN and the regime in Khartoum, since the majority of those IDPs are in the SPLMN controlled areas.
5- The SPLMN requested the Office of the Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nation Security Council to address the humanitarian crisis in South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile States seriously given the fact that General Elbashir Government is deliberately using food as a weapon and denying access for humanitarian assistance which constitutes a war crime. The displacement of the civil population of South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile States came as direct result of the Khartoum government policies of targeting the civilian population.
6- The SPLMN appreciates the tremendous efforts by the US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, the United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Assistance Baroness Valarie Amos and the US special Envoy to Sudan Ambassador Princeton Lyman and look forward to see their efforts translated into action to address the sufferings of the IDPs.
Anwar Elhaj
The SPLMN Representative
United States, Washington
January 19, 2012