USA condemns upsurge of violence in Darfur and Two Areas

The US State Department has issued a statement strongly condemning “the recent marked increase in violence in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile state)", and calls for an immediate end to killings, sexual violence, forced displacements, and other human rights abuses.

The statement issued by the department spokesperson Ned Price yesterday, urges “an immediate investigation into the causes of this recent spate of violence in Darfur and the Two Areas and for those responsible for human rights abuses or violations to be held accountable. We remind the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement of their commitments to provide security in these regions and work towards a durable peace.”

The US statement asserts that “these tragic incidents further demonstrate both the imperative for accelerated implementation of the provisions of the Juba Peace Agreement and that Sudan requires comprehensive, inclusive security sector reform as well as accountability measures to address longstanding and ongoing impunity. They also underscore the continued need for robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms through the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Sudan, and the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).”

As civilian and military actors participate in Sudanese-led, internationally facilitated consultations about Sudan’s future under civilian rule, the US calls on the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North – Abadalaziz Alhilu and Sudan Liberation Movement – Abdel Wahid Al Nur to engage constructively in this process.

“We urge all stakeholders to take seriously and address the drivers of conflict in the country’s peripheries,” the State Dept concludes.

On Monday, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Republic of Sudan Central Reserve Police (CRP, popularly known as Abu Tira) for serious human rights abuse yesterday. The Treasury listed the excessively violent repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests by the security forces as the main reason.

The Khartoum State Resistance Committees and the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change have welcomed the announcement.