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
Judith Sargentini, Heidi Hautala, Jordi Sebastià, Maria Heubuch, Bodil Ceballos, Igor Šoltes, Bart Staes, Davor Škrlec on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0213/2014
B8‑0213/2014
European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the 2005 Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),
– having regard to the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
– having regard to the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
– having regard to 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
– having regard to the Roadmap for Sudan and South Sudan set out in the communiqué of 24 April 2012 by the African Union Peace and Security Council,
– having regard to the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan, which is investigating the human rights violations that have occurred since conflict erupted on 15 December 2013,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on South Sudan, in particular those of 10 December 2013 on the efforts of the international community in the area of development and of ‘state building’ in South Sudan[1] and 16 January 2014 on the situation in South Sudan[2],
– having regard to the statements of 23 January 2014 and 10 May 2014 by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the situation in South Sudan,
– having regard to the statement of 28 August 2014 by the High Representative’s spokesperson on the situation in South Sudan,
– having regard to the declaration of 10 July 2014 by the Council of the European Union on South Sudan,
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 20 January 2014 and 17 March 2014 on South Sudan,
– 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 30 October 2014 by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon,
– having regard to the statement of 20 October 2014 by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
– having regard to the revised Cotonou Agreement,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the fighting began on 15 December 2013, with clashes erupting when Salva Kiir, the country’s president and a member of the Dinka ethnic group, accused his dismissed vice-president, Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer, of plotting a coup d’état against him, which Riek Machar has denied;
B. whereas long before the outbreak of violence in December 2013, political stability in South Sudan was threatened by the unresolved and protracted rivalries between President Kiir and former Vice-President Machar, which dates back to the 1991 split within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) between the Garang faction; whereas political rivalries between the two men over the country’s leadership, governance and direction have been fuelled by the instrumentalisation of ethnic identities by both sides;
C. whereas the parties to the conflict in South Sudan initiated negotiations on 7 January 2014 in Addis Ababa, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); whereas peace talks have yielded little progress, despite increasingly frustrated calls for compromise from the international community;
D. whereas a ceasefire agreement was signed on 23 January 2014 and reconfirmed on 9 May 2014, but continues to be breached;
E. whereas violence has repeatedly been sparked between tribal militias in South Sudan since its declared independence from Sudan in 2011; whereas the violence has left thousands of civilian dead, while the humanitarian situation has further deteriorated;
F. whereas the UN has declared the crisis in South Sudan a level 3 emergency – the highest level of humanitarian crisis;
G. whereas around 1.9 million people have fled their homes in South Sudan, including 469 000 who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries; whereas at the same time, the country is host to around a quarter of a million refugees, mainly from Sudan; whereas it is likely that South Sudan will face further displacement as insecurity continues;
H. whereas South Sudan continues to face a food security crisis, although humanitarian assistance helped to avoid famine for the most vulnerable; whereas 1.5 million people are expected to continue facing crisis- or emergency‑level food insecurity; whereas women are especially vulnerable to food insecurity, as 57 % of households in the protection sites are headed by women;
I. whereas so far in 2014 the EU, its Member States and the Commission have provided assistance worth over EUR 254 million; whereas the capacity and funding of the humanitarian operations in Sudan fall well short of the overwhelming need;
J. whereas the conflict is marked by atrocities on both sides; whereas the main fear is that fighting between the forces of President Salva Kiir and rebels loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar, will resume as the rainy season ends this month; whereas leading aid agencies, including Oxfam, CARE and Cafod, warned that parts of South Sudan could fall into famine early next year if fighting resumes;
K. whereas the adoption of an ‘NGO bill’ aiming at limiting the space in which NGOs and civil society can work in South Sudan has been postponed to December; whereas, if implemented, the draft ‘NGO bill’ could have major consequences for aid operations at this critical time when the international community is trying to prevent a famine from unfolding;
L. whereas active hostilities and insecurity in several states, especially Unity and Upper Nile, have continued to disrupt humanitarian response activities and restrict road and air access for humanitarian workers;
M. whereas aside from donor and humanitarian aid, South Sudan’s economy is almost entirely dependent on the oil sector;
N. whereas the majority of the population live in widespread poverty despite the fact that the country is rich in oil and natural resources, with oil exports accounting for more than 70 % of GDP and about 90 % of government revenue;
O. whereas revenues generated from the oil industry have fuelled violent conflicts; whereas a reformed Sudan has the potential to turn its wealth of resources from what has up until now been a ‘resource curse’ into a blessing that brings prosperity to the country;
P. whereas a democratic political solution to the current conflict should be found and the way should be paved for democratically appointed institutions to build a viable state;
1. Strongly condemns the atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict; denounces, in particular, in the strongest possible terms, the widespread killings of civilians, often based on their ethnicity, the mass destruction and looting of civilian property, and the killing of humanitarian workers; condemns equally the gross human rights violations, such as torture and sexual violence, committed by army officers, including against children – some of whom died as a consequence of these horrendous acts – extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detentions with associated ill treatment in many cases, which continue without any punishment; is deeply concerned also by the increasing restrictions being placed on the freedom of expression, the media and civil society;
2. Stresses that the only viable solution to this crisis is through peacefully resolving the differences of the parties to the conflict and putting the interests of the country and its people first; calls for both parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and to engage seriously in peace negotiations, in order to limit the scale of humanitarian disaster; urges both sides in particular to allow unhindered humanitarian access and to ensure the participation of civil society in the peace process;
3. Is deeply worried about the ethnic dimension of the conflict; notes with deep concern that about 1.4 million people are still displaced from their homes after months of fighting, which has claimed at least 10 000 lives and led to a resurgence in ethnic murders; notes, also, that approximately 100 000 people are still hunkered down in UN compounds across the country, too afraid to return home even when fighting has halted;
4. Encourages the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan, which has been tasked with investigating violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed during the conflict and making recommendations relating to healing, reconciliation, accountability and institutional reform, to carry on with its investigations on human rights abuses; strongly urges its members to ensure, as a prerequisite for any genuine and sustainable reconciliation process, that perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice to end impunity;
5. Deplores the fact that despite the continuous efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to mediate a political settlement of the conflict in South Sudan with a view to establishing a transitional government of national unity, the parties have so far made little substantial progress: they have continued to engage in sporadic fighting on the ground, with severe consequences for the civilian population, while generating a deepening humanitarian crisis and violating the cessation of hostilities agreement;
6. Urges the EU, nevertheless, to continue assisting the IGAD in its efforts to mediate both sides of the conflict in both substantive and financial terms and contributing staff to the ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism;
7. Calls on all neighbours of South Sudan and regional powers to work closely together in order to improve the security situation in the country and the greater region and to find a way towards achieving a peaceful, lasting political solution to the current crisis;
8. Reiterates that long-term prospects for peaceful coexistence and development call for comprehensive institutional reforms to provide the country with a governing process that guarantees the rule of law; calls, therefore, on the South Sudanese authorities to engage in robust institutional reforms that, inter alia,: (i) guarantee the protection of human and fundamental rights, including those of vulnerable groups (e.g. women, minority ethnic groups); (ii) establish mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and create an environment within which the entirety of the country’s diverse population can coexist peacefully; and (iii) ensure the efficient and equitable management of natural resources and the eradication of corruption;
9. Denounces the fact that humanitarian access has continued to be hampered by fighting and violence perpetrated by both sides against aid workers, equipment and infrastructure; urges the government, under its areas of control, to abide by its obligations to respect international humanitarian and human rights law and ensure the protection of civilians;
10. Urges the parties in particular to facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to the people who are in dire need of it, and to cooperate with and support the free movement of all personnel who work for humanitarian organisations;
11. Calls on the international community, equally, to honour its funding commitments to South Sudan and the region and to mobilise resources in order to respond immediately to the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan;
12. Stresses that South Sudan has some of the worst health and nutrition levels in the world, with access to quality primary health care problematic due to underdevelopment, ongoing conflict, attacks on health care facilities and difficulty in accessing many areas; underlines that poor health care affects, in particular, the most vulnerable, leading to high mortality rates among children and women;
13. Deplores the fact that the conflict has disrupted many basic social services, with hundreds of thousands of children out of school; is alarmed by the fact that children continue to bear the brunt of the violence, suffering from psychological distress and lacking access to services, including education; urges the parties to end the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and other grave violations against children;
14. Emphasises that building the appropriate institutions and legal framework to manage its oil wealth within its ethnic federalism is key to its peaceful development; calls on the EU, in particular, to support a long-term development strategy for South Sudan which enables the creation of a strong system of good governance, transparency and accountability (particularly as regards implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative), and the development of infrastructure, education, health and social welfare programmes which use oil and development aid revenues;
15. Urges the South Sudanese authorities to make sure that oil revenues benefit the people; calls on the negotiating parties to include in the peace deal the issue of transparency and public scrutiny in the oil sector, in such a way as to allow the revenue from this resource to be used for the sustainable development of the country and to improve the livelihoods of its population;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government of South Sudan, the Human Rights Commissioner of South Sudan, the National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan, the African Union’s institutions, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the UN Secretary-General.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0546.
- [2] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0042.