HE Mr. ZHANG Yesui
350 East 35th Street
New York, NY 10016
USA Your Excellency,
I am deeply concerned about the current situation in Sudan.
I urge you to use your presidency of the Security Council to ensure that civilians are protected, particularly in the lead up to the 2010 election and the 2011 referendum in Sudan.
2009 has been the most violent year in the South of Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, with over 2,500 people killed and 350,000 displaced.
Although the former Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and African Union for Darfur, Rodolphe Adada, and the UNAMID Force Commander, Martin Luther Agwai, claimed that the war in Darfur was over in April and August 2009, attacks against civilians continue to occur, as recognised by the UN Panel of Experts on Darfur on 27 October 2009.
The UN Security Council must act now.
I congratulate the Security Council on the adoption of resolution 1894 (2009), prioritising the protection of civilians in conflict. I call on you to ensure that this resolution is specifically applied to the situation in Sudan.
I appreciate your calls for clearly defined goals and priorities for protection of civilians in peacekeeping mandates during the recent Security Council open debate on protection of civilians. I also recognise your view that Governments have primary responsibility for the protection of civilians. In this regard I urge you to ensure:
· That UNAMID and UNMIS pro-actively fulfil their protection of civilians mandate;
· That the Government of Sudan, the Government of Southern Sudan and all armed groups allow UNAMID and UNMIS the freedom to carry out their civilian protection mandate and provide them with the support they need;
· That contributing countries ensure that UNAMID and UNMIS have the capacity and equipment to fulfil their mandate to protect civilians.
The upcoming election and referendum in Sudan create a risk of renewed conflict and large scale human rights violations. These issues need to be addressed now before more civilians are killed and displaced.
Yours Sincerely,