B4-0498, 0506, 0523, 0534, 0539, 0541 and 0552/98

Resolution on the situation in Sudan

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the declaration made by the Presidency of the European Union on 1 May 1998,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the persistent civil war and human rights violations in Sudan,

A. extremely concerned by the continuing deterioration in the humanitarian situation in southern Sudan, in particular in the region of Bhar-al-Ghazal, where 350 000 people are threatened with starvation, and aware that the drought may well exacerbate the situation,

B. recognizing that, although the El Niño weather phenomenon has caused a severe drought, the present crisis is primarily the result of the devastating war and of obstruction by the Sudanese Government forces of relief supplies sent in under the UN's Operation Lifeline,

C. concerned at the escalation of the civil war, which is particularly affecting southern Sudan, causing increased human suffering among displaced civilian communities, giving rise to an ever-increasing number of refugees and bringing about the collapse of economic and social structures,

D. deploring the persistent serious human rights abuses and violations inflicted on the defenceless civilian population by all the belligerents,

E. recalling in particular its condemnation of the repressive and anti-democratic measures taken by the Sudanese Government, which have taken the form of manifold violations of human rights, especially of political and religious rights, forced conscription of the population, support for international terrorist activities, and contempt for the warnings given and the repeated sanctions imposed on it by the international community on many occasions,

F. deeply concerned at the many cases of political and religious persecution by the Sudanese Government, and particularly worried as to the fate of the political prisoners who are being held in deplorable conditions,

G. indignant at the Sudanese Government's deliberate policy of hindering the supply of humanitarian aid, thereby depriving the suffering people of the food aid they so desperately require, and concerned that humanitarian agencies have frequently been denied access and cannot, therefore, provide the humanitarian aid needed in the war zones, and whereas the recent authorization of seven humanitarian cargo flights by Khartoum represents only a very marginal concession that could be ended at any moment,

H. reiterating its firm belief that the peace initiative of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is the most effective platform to achieve a permanent resolution of the Sudanese conflict, and recalling that, at the end of the negotiations held in early May 1998 in Nairobi under the aegis of IGAD, the Sudanese Government and the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army reached agreement on the principle of a referendum on self-determination, supervised by the international community, to be held after a transitional period, the duration of which is still to be determined,

I. deploring the fact that no agreement has yet been reached on a ceasefire, and noting with concern that the fighting resumed as soon as the negotiations ceased,

J. aware of the regional consequences which the fighting in Sudan might have and which may well destabilize several African countries,

1. Notes the outcome of the negotiations held in Nairobi under the aegis of IGAD which enshrines the Sudanese Government's recognition of the right of the peoples in southern Sudan to self-determination but regrets that the persistent fundamental divergences between the parties are at present threatening the viability of that agreement;

2. Takes the view that no major advance will be made in the peace process until a ceasefire has been definitively proclaimed; calls, in this context, for an immediate ceasefire and once again urges all parties to the conflict in Sudan to stop using famine to further their political and military ends and to search for and establish a lasting peace that will bring the human suffering in Sudan to an end;

3. Strongly supports the IGAD regional peace initiative and urges all parties to the conflict to participate fully and positively in this peace process, namely in the next round of negotiations in three months' time in Addis Ababa; calls in this context on the parties to come to an early agreement on the procedures for the referendum, in particular the region's boundaries and the issue of the separation of religion and state;

4. Calls on the international community, and the EU in particular, to support the IGAD peace process and to assist the Sudanese people in rebuilding their country, particularly in restoring the destroyed farming economy, when peace is finally established;

5. Welcomes the lifting of restrictions on access to areas suffering from food shortages and insists that the Sudanese Government now cooperate fully and unconditionally to ensure the supply of humanitarian aid to afflicted areas and that all the belligerents guarantee free passage for the delivery of aid; urges them not to rescind their decision to lift the plethora of restrictions that they had previously imposed on the supply of humanitarian aid, however the political and military situation may develop;

6. Welcomes the Commission's new allocation of ECU 8.8 million to 'Echo-Flight', since that will guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid until March 1999, and urges the Commission to step up the aid granted to the NGOs supplying humanitarian aid to Sudanese civilians;

7. Calls on the entire international community to mobilize funds in a consistent fashion in order to respond to the appeal made by the UN Secretary-General for the provision of funds to prevent widespread famine in southern Sudan;

8. Calls on the Sudanese Government to comply with UN Security Council Resolutions 1058 and 1070 by ratifying and implementing the UN Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment, safeguarding human rights, respecting the rights of religious minorities, releasing unconditionally all political prisoners and extraditing to Ethiopia the three persons suspected of involvement in the assassination attempt on President Mubarak of Egypt;

9. Insists that sanctions should be maintained against the Sudanese Government, including the suspension of all European Union development aid except for urgent humanitarian assistance, until verifiable improvements in human rights observance by the Sudanese authorities have been made and a comprehensive political process initiated aimed at democratization;

10. Reiterates its call on the IMF and other financial institutions to make the granting of financial assistance conditional on compliance with the demands of the UN and of the international community with regard to human rights and democratization;

11. Proposes to send a delegation from its Committee on Development and Cooperation on a fact-finding mission to Sudan, on the understanding that the members of that delegation would have unrestricted access to all areas of Sudan;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly, the Member States of IGAD and the Sudanese Government.