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, and Mr. 

CARDIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 South 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 Nations, 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 


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•SRES 397 IS 

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 South 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 South 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; 

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 


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•SRES 397 IS 

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 South 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 South Kordofan nor Blue Nile were able to 

complete the popular consultation process with the 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 


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•SRES 397 IS 

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 more than 4,000,000 people in Sudan 

remain internally displaced, and in 2011, though for the 

first time since the Darfur conflict began, more Darfuris 

voluntarily returned to their homes (87,000) than were 

newly displaced (70,000), and additional tens of thousands are being displaced in southern Sudan: 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; 

9 (3) urges the Government of Sudan to allow im10 mediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to 

11 South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and all other conflict-af12 fected areas of Sudan; 


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•SRES 397 IS 

1 (4) encourages the Government of Sudan and 

2 the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to 

3 declare a cessation of hostilities to allow food and es4 sential supplies to reach affected civilians; 

5 (5) implores the Governments of Sudan and 

6 South Sudan to refrain from any support of proxy 

7 forces; 

8 (6) urges the Government of Sudan and the 

9 Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to allow 

10 civilians to leave the two states voluntarily and seek 

11 refuge in more secure areas; and 

12 (7) supports the current efforts of the Obama 

13 Administration, working with partners in the inter14 national community, to facilitate humanitarian ac15 cess to affected areas, to encourage all relevant par16 ties to return to the negotiation table to reach agree17 ments associated with the conclusion of the Com18 prehensive Peace Agreement, to mitigate violence in 

19 the interim, and to allow full humanitarian access. 

Æ 


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