III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 397 

Promoting peace and stability in Sudan, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2012 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. 

CARDIN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CASEY, 

and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

MARCH 28, 2012 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

MARCH 29, 2012 

Considered, amended, and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Promoting peace and stability in Sudan, and for other 

purposes. 

Whereas conflict between the Government of Sudan and the 

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM–N) 

has been ongoing since June 2011 in Sudan’s border 

state of Southern Kordofan and since September 2011 in 

the border state of Blue Nile, resulting in a humanitarian 

crisis; 

Whereas the Government of Sudan has refused repeated requests by the United States Government, the United NaVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:21 Mar 31, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR397.ATS SR397

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•SRES 397 ATS 

tions, the African Union, the League of Arab States, 

nongovernmental organizations, and others to allow humanitarian access to the conflict areas; 

Whereas the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan signed 

a memorandum of understanding on non-aggression and 

cooperation in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012, 

agreeing to respect each other’s sovereignty and refrain 

from launching any attack against the other, including 

bombardment; 

Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than 

130,000 refugees have fled Southern Kordofan and Blue 

Nile for South Sudan, Ethiopia, and elsewhere since 

June 2011, and hundreds of thousands more have been 

internally displaced or severely affected by conflict; 

Whereas the Government of Sudan bombed the Yida refugee 

camp in South Sudan on November 10, 2011; 

Whereas both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North have reportedly prevented civilians from leaving Blue Nile and Southern 

Kordofan; 

Whereas the Famine Early Warning Systems Network 

(FEWSNET), funded by the United States Agency for 

International Development, estimated in March 2012 

that conflict-affected areas of Southern Kordofan would 

deteriorate further in coming weeks to Phase 4 emergency levels of food insecurity (one step before being classified as a famine), due mainly to conflict and government policies that have limited cultivation, displaced the 

population, restricted trade, and refused access for international humanitarian assistance; 


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•SRES 397 ATS 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a statement on February 14, 2012, expressing deep and growing alarm with the rising levels of malnutrition and food 

insecurity in some areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue 

Nile, calling on the Government of Sudan to allow immediate access to United Nations personnel, and urging the 

Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation 

Movement-North to agree to an immediate cessation of 

hostilities and return to talks to address the issues that 

have fueled the current conflict; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appealed urgently to donors in February 2012 for 

$145,000,000 to assist refugees from Southern Kordofan 

and Blue Nile; 

Whereas President Barack Obama released a statement in 

June 2011 calling on the Government of Sudan and the 

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to agree immediately to a ceasefire, end restrictions on humanitarian 

access and United Nations movements, and agree on security arrangements for Southern Kordofan and Blue 

Nile States through direct, high-level negotiations as opposed to the use of force; 

Whereas President Obama released a statement on February 

2, 2012, strongly condemning the bombing by the Armed 

Forces of Sudan of civilian populations in Southern 

Kordofan and Blue Nile States in Sudan, which stated 

that aerial attacks on civilian targets are unjustified, unacceptable, and a violation of international law and compound the ongoing crisis in these areas; 

Whereas neither Southern Kordofan nor Blue Nile were able 

to complete the popular consultation process with the 


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•SRES 397 ATS 

Government of Sudan as stipulated in the Comprehensive 

Peace Agreement (CPA) before violence broke out; 

Whereas, despite the independence of South Sudan on July 

9, 2011, many key issues between Sudan and South 

Sudan remain unresolved, including transit fees for oil 

pipeline use, citizenship, the status of Abyei, and border 

demarcation; 

Whereas the goal of democratic governance reform in Sudan 

as envisioned in the CPA has not been met; 

Whereas in addition to the growing conflict-induced humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan’s southern border states, the humanitarian crisis and ongoing insecurity 

in Darfur continues; and 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that, although for the first time since the 

Darfur conflict began, more Darfuris (87,000) voluntarily 

returned to their homes than were newly displaced 

(70,000), tens of thousands of additional people are still 

being displaced in southern Sudan and more than 

4,000,000 people in Sudan remain internally displaced in 

total: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) welcomes the memorandum of under3 standing on non-aggression and cooperation signed 

4 between the Governments of Sudan and South 

5 Sudan in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012; 

6 (2) calls on the Government of Sudan and the 

7 Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to reach 

8 a mutually beneficial political agreement; 


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•SRES 397 ATS 

1 (3) urges the Government of Sudan to allow im2 mediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to 

3 Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, and all other conflict4 affected areas of Sudan; 

5 (4) encourages the Government of Sudan and 

6 the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to 

7 declare a cessation of hostilities to allow food and es8 sential supplies to reach affected civilians; 

9 (5) implores the Governments of Sudan and 

10 South Sudan to refrain from any support of proxy 

11 forces; 

12 (6) urges the Government of Sudan and the 

13 Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to allow 

14 civilians to leave Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile 

15 voluntarily and seek refuge in more secure areas; 

16 and 

17 (7) supports the current efforts of the Obama 

18 Administration, working with partners in the inter19 national community, to facilitate humanitarian ac20 cess to affected areas, to encourage all relevant par21 ties to return to the negotiation table to reach agree22 ments associated with the conclusion of the Com23 prehensive Peace Agreement, to mitigate violence in 

24 the interim, and to allow full humanitarian access. 

Æ 


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