MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan
5.11.2014 - (2014/2922(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Lola Sánchez Caldentey, Malin Björk, Merja Kyllönen, Patrick Le Hyaric, Miloslav Ransdorf, Marina Albiol Guzmán, Paloma López Bermejo, Ángela Vallina, Javier Couso Permuy, Kateřina Konečná on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
B8‑0215/2014
European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan,
– having regard to the revised Cotonou Agreement,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
– having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
– having regard to the statement of 25 September 2014 by the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva,
– having regard to the statement of 20 October 2014 by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
– having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the optional protocol thereto,
– having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the three optional protocols thereto,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Republic of South Sudan, which has a multi-ethnic population, became independent on 9 July 2011 as a result of a referendum held in the south of Sudan;
B. whereas South Sudan’s independence was the final stage of a six-year peace agreement after decades of civil war; whereas following internal disagreements in the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, President Salva Kiir Mayardit dissolved his entire cabinet and removed Vice-President Riek Machar from office in July 2013;
C. whereas the belt of insecurity, under-development and poor governance across the Sahel to the Horn of Africa can be addressed only if the root causes are tackled, including extreme poverty, climate change, EU and international geostrategic interests and interventions, unfair distribution of wealth and exploitation of resources;
D. whereas the power struggle is seeking to create and exploit ethnic divisions, and is thus threatening to descend into an ethnic war that may lead South Sudan to the brink of full‑blown civil war;
E. whereas South Sudan’s independence does not seem to have had the intended effects on the Sudanese populations as a whole;
F. whereas crucial issues, such as border demarcation, the sharing of oil revenues and the use of the north’s pipeline, remain unresolved;
G. whereas a significant increase in food and water prices, a lack of medical care and infrastructure, a poorly functioning economy, chronic food insecurity and high levels of acute malnutrition have created tensions and led to violence;
H. whereas South Sudan has abundant fertile agricultural land and natural resources besides petroleum, including iron ore, copper, diamonds and gold;
I. whereas more than 10 000 people have been killed in the conflict in South Sudan, while at least 1.8 million have fled from their homes;
J. whereas South Sudan also hosts refugees from neighbouring countries, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic;
K. whereas children make up half the population of South Sudan;
1. Deplores the loss of lives in the conflict and expresses deep concern over its development, which is causing many civilian deaths; calls for an immediate ceasefire to be agreed between the warring parties, and expresses its support for impartial/neutral mediation aimed at securing a quick and sustainable agreement;
2. Calls for a negotiated, equitable and sustainable solution that will allow South Sudan’s leaders to resolve their differences peacefully and democratically, and for a national reconciliation process in the interest of the Sudanese populations as a whole;
3. Urges the international community to make bold diplomatic efforts to convince both sides of the conflict to end the fighting and to start negotiating towards a peaceful, equitable and sustainable solution to the conflict;
4. Urges an immediate end to the deliveries of weapons and munitions to South Sudan and the whole region; welcomes the continuation of the existing EU arms embargo on South Sudan;
5. Calls on international organisations, including the European Union, to adopt a comprehensive approach which is strictly confined to offering purely civilian and peaceful support for a peace and reconciliation process in Sudan;
6. Supports, and views as essential, the participation of civil society in peace negotiations;
7. Underlines the fact that the South Sudanese Government should use the funds provided to resolve the underlying causes of the country’s disastrous economic situation, inequality and extreme poverty;
8. Underlines the need for the country’s natural resources, particularly oil production, to be under state control and for the state to use them for the benefit of the people as a whole;
9. Urges the Commission and the Member States to scale up the provision of humanitarian support and to provide food, clean water, healthcare and sanitation to the population of South Sudan;
10. Calls on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, particularly women and children, and to safeguard medical facilities, schools and places of refuge;
11. Urges the South Sudanese authorities to strengthen the fight against impunity by training the justice and law enforcement community with tools designed to end all forms of violence against women and girls;
12. Urges the Commission, the Member States and the South Sudanese authorities to work with communities and women’s rights organisations to provide and promote access to quality education, sexual and reproductive rights and healthcare services for girls and women, including access to contraception and HIV/AIDS testing and treatment;
13. Urges the international community to prevent the deaths of 50 000 children from hunger and cholera, as estimated by aid agencies;
14. Calls on the international community to honour its funding commitments to South Sudan and the region and to mobilise additional resources in order to respond immediately to the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan;
15. Instructs its President to forward his resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of South Sudan, the African Union, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the UN Secretary-General.