JOINT ASSEMBLY OF THE CONVENTION CONCLUED BETWEEN THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC STATES AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (ACP-EC)

RESOLUTION () on Sudan

The ACP-EU Joint Assembly,

- meeting in Luxembourg from 23 to 26 September 1996,

- recalling its previous resolutions on human rights violations in Sudan,

A. whereas the civil war which has been raging in Sudan for more than 12 years, mainly in the southern part of the country, is still causing immense human suffering, the spread of famine and an ever growing flow of refugees, as well as the breakdown of social and economic structures,

B. gravely concerned by the Government of Sudan's pursuit of a military solution to the problem of South Sudan, the violations it has carried out against the sovereignty of the countries in the Horn of Africa, and the policy of destabilization and subversion against its neighbours, particularly Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda,

C. deeply dismayed that the Government of Sudan continues to obstruct the implementation of the IGADD Peace Process designed to bring about a just and durable settlement to the war in South Sudan,

D. alarmed that the Sudanese government has not yet complied with requests (of 11 September and 19 December 1995) of the Central Organ of the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Resolution, and with resolutions 1044, 1054 and 1070 of the Security Council urging the Government of Sudan to extradite to Ethiopia the three men allegedly involved in the 26 June 1995 attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Mubarak,

E. noting that, as a result of Sudan's inadequate response to its requests and resolutions, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Sudan on 26 April 1996 and then again on 16 August 1996, which reduce Sudan's diplomatic and consular missions abroad, restrict the movement of remaining staff, ban the entry or transit of members of the Sudanese Government, civil service and armed forces, ban all aircraft either registered in Sudan or owned, leased, or operated by or on behalf of Sudan Airways from taking off from, landing in or overflying other national territories, and close the offices of Sudan Airways abroad,

F. noting that the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva has, for the last four years, continuously condemned the NIF Regime for State-managed human rights abuses and institutionalized slavery in particular against the non-Muslim Sudanese,

G. deeply concerned by the obstruction, on the part of the Government of Sudan, of the organized repatriation of Eritrean refugees under the Proferi programme,

H. opposed to the political and religious persecution carried out by the Government of Sudan, and gravely concerned about the safety of political prisoners held by that Government,

I. concerned about continuing reports about the deteriorating human rights situation in the Nuba Mountains,

J. alarmed that agencies working in the Nuba Mountains under the umbrella of 'Operation Lifeline Sudan` are hindered in their work by the regular refusal of the Sudanese authorities to grant them access to those Mountains, thereby preventing a regular flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Nuba people,

K. alarmed by reports about the forced recruitment of young boys by all parties to the conflict in the South of Sudan and on the bombing of civilian communities by the Government of Sudan,

L. welcoming the reported decision of the Government of Sudan to finally accede to the numerous requests that access to Sudan be granted to the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Commission,

1. Condemns the Government of Sudan and all warring guerrilla factions for the continuation of the civil war, the killings, torture, enslaving and other human rights abuses that they inflict on the Sudanese population;

2. Calls upon all parties to the Sudanese conflict to cease all atrocities, stop fighting and respect basic human rights for all Sudanese while negotiating a peace agreement that will stop the plight of the Sudanese people;

3. Calls on the Government of Sudan to act on Security Council Resolutions 1058 and 1070 and ratify and apply the UN Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment, guarantee human rights, release all political prisoners and respect the rights of religious minorities;

4. Urges the Government of Sudan to extradite to Ethiopia the three suspects allegedly involved in the assassination attempt on the life of President Mubarak of Egypt;

5. Calls on the international community to maintain sanctions against the Government of Sudan and on the EU not to resume development cooperation until the Government of Sudan stops atrocities against the Sudanese people and its denial of humanitarian and other essential services to non-Muslim communities;

6. Calls on the International Monetary Fund to refrain from granting facilities to the Government of Sudan for as long as it fails to respond in full to both the requests of the OAU and the resolutions of the Security Council;

7. Calls, once again, on the Government of Sudan to cooperate with the IGADD Peace Initiative to resolve the problem in South Sudan on the basis of the principles of:

the right of self-determination,

separation of state and religion,

the democratization of Sudanese society;

8. Urges the Government of Sudan to abandon its policy of destabilization and subversion against its neighbours, most recently through support it is widely believed to have provided to the Lord's Resistance Army and the West Nile Bank Front, which carried out attacks killing over 300 Sudanese refugees in July and August of this year;

9. Urges the Government of Sudan to allow the organized repatriation of Eritrean refugees under the Proferi programme;

10. Hopes that all parties have finally come to the realization that a just peace treaty for Sudan is the only chance of shaping the future successfully for all population groups;

11. Urges IGADD to relaunch its peace initiatives to prevent a further escalation of the conflict in Sudan, and calls upon the Friends of IGADD to support any such initiatives;

12. Urges IGADD countries to support Sudanese civil society and to involve representatives of Sudanese civil society in future initiatives it undertakes;

13. Urges the immediate release of all political prisoners, unless they are to be charged with a criminal offence and brought to a fair trial without delay;

14. Totally condemns the bombing and raiding of civilian villages in Sudan and the rounding up and forced recruitment of young boys by the parties to the conflict;

15. Calls on all parties to the conflict to respect the Geneva Conventions;

16. Calls for particular attention to be given to the needs of children who have been physically injured and psychologically damaged as a result of the conflict in Sudan;

17. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the Commission, the OAU, the UN and the Government of Sudan.