UN agencies declare their support for lifting Sudan’s sanctions

[Elisabeth Janaina]

UN agencies declare their support for lifting Sudan’s sanctions

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South Sudanese refugees in White Nile State receive humanitarian
assistance on 27 February 2017 (SUNA photo)
July 10, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations agencies in Sudan have
praised the government for improving humanitarian access and voiced
their support for the lift of sanctions stressing that such a
"constructive engagement" paves the way for more progress on the
pending issues.

The statement of the UN agencies working on development, emergency,
recovery and transition activities comes 48 hours before the
announcement of a decision by President Donald Trump over the
revocation or maintenance of economic embargo on Sudan.

The improvement of humanitarian access to the conflict-affected areas
is one of five matters Sudan pledged to allow in a deal reached with
the U.S. administration last year before the permanent lift of
economic sanctions in July 2017.

"The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Sudan acknowledges that
there has been a marked improvement in humanitarian access over the
past six months, since Executive Order 13761 was signed on 13 January
2017, as a result of improved engagement between the Government of
Sudan and humanitarian actors.

The UNCT pointed to directives issued by the government in December
2016 to facilitate the humanitarian access saying the UN agencies and
aid groups reached inaccessible areas in Darfur region particularly
the mountainous Jebel Marra area.

Also, the UN humanitarian bodies underlined that now they reach the
government controlled areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states
but the humanitarian access to the rebel-controlled areas in the two
states remains a "challenge".

The government and the SPLM-N since more than a year have declared a
unilateral cessation of hostilities but they failed to reach a
humanitarian deal. Washington made some proposals to break the
deadlock but the parties still at odds because the rebels demand a
direct safe humanitarian corridor from the neighbouring Ethiopia to
the SPLM-N areas in the Blue Nile.

The UN agencies further mentioned Sudan’s cooperation to deliver
international humanitarian aid to the displaced persons in the South
Sudan where a civil war has devastated the young nation despite the
regional efforts to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict.

"While the UNCT recognises that regulatory improvements can take time
to fully materialise on the ground and that some issues remain to be
addressed, the past months have clearly shown that constructive
engagement is the best way to maintain the progress already made, as
well as to collectively resolve pending issues," said the statement.

"The UNCT looks forward to the decision that will shortly be taken on
the sanctions, and is committed to continuing its engagement in order
to further improve humanitarian access," it further said.

The Sudanese foreign ministry welcomed the statement by the UN
agencies in favour of the permanent repeal of economic sanctions on
Sudan

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its satisfaction with the
facts and evidence highlighted in the statement, which emphasised the
close cooperation between Sudan and the international community in
humanitarian issues at the regional and international levels," further
said the statement.

In Washington, the Founding Director of the Enough Project, John
Prendergast, issued a statement on Monday reiterating his call for the
administration of President Trump to delay the permanent lift of
sanctions on Sudan.

The Sudanese regime "continues to obstruct humanitarian access while
more than a million people urgently need food and life-saving aid and
continues its relentless attacks on religious freedoms including
demolition of churches and denial of freedom of worship," he said.

(ST)

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Kind regards,

The Sudan Tribune editorial team.

11 July 08:19, by Lenin Bull

Sudan government knows how to deal with handle foreign expatriates
who come to Sudan as UN staff. These UN staff are closely monitored
and given red line not to be crossed while in Sudan and when are
suspected of doing they are given 48 hours to leave Sudan and never to
return. Look the way Bashir chased UNMIS in 2011 now UNMISS
semi-colonizer of South Sudan now.

repondre message
11 July 08:22, by Lenin Bull

UN agancies respect the sovereignty of Sudan but while South Sudan
they behave like masters to the government and in fact have guts to
order or threaten government officials and institutions. They don’t
even respect UN national staff South Sudanese neither do they promote
them to any senior posts.

repondre message
11 July 08:27, by Lenin Bull

UN agencies including UNMISS writing bad blackmailing stories
about South Sudanese people and their government. Some of these fake
stories have the undertone of discrediting and damaging the country
and its people as a whole. When UNMISS will leave South Sudan remains
a mystery. May be it has come to stay forever like MONUC in DRC Congo
since 1962 to 2017!! and nothing we can do about it.

repondre message
11 July 08:33, by Lenin Bull

It has become their modus operandi to write damaging stories on
South Sudan concocted and faked to cone UN Headquaters in New York and
Donors to send them more money and let them stay in South Sudan. Which
tribe eat human flesh or practice cannibalism in South Sudan, or
sodomy but they are shamelessly appearing in humanitarian reports
coming out of South Sudan. and nothing is being done by governm