Europe must stand up for peace – The fate of 500,000 southern Sudanese war refugees in Sudan must be clarified

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for a stronger commitment of the European Union (EU) to prevent another war between Sudan and South Sudan. "Only international mediators can now prevent the two belligerent states from officially declaring war", explained the STP's Africa-consultant, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Thursday. "The crisis in Syria must not lead to a situation, in which Europe keeps silent about the violent escalations in East Africa." Both countries reinforced their troops during the past few months, so a new war would have disastrous consequences and would be difficult to avert. Yesterday, Sudan had already called for a general mobilization of its troops.

This Easter weekend, tensions between the two countries had increased after South Sudan had reported that its army had occupied the oil-rich region around the city of Heglig, South Kordofan. Earlier, Sudan had flown air strikes against the neighboring state. Both countries are accusing each other for the recent escalation.

After mediation by the African Union, Sudan and South Sudan agreed on a non-aggression pact on February 10, 2012, in Addis Ababa. This had led to new hope that a new armed conflict between the countries might be prevented. It was only in July 2011 that South Sudan had achieved a secession from the Sudan after 37 years of civil war. Further, both states had agreed on other controversial issues and signed an agreement on questions of nationality and on the demarcation of the shared border on March 14, 2012, in Addis Ababa. "But obviously there are groups in the Sudanese army that are trying to jeopardize these agreements."

Sudanese politicians had been especially critical about the agreement on nationality issues. They did not want to accept that people from South Sudan will be allowed to move freely, to keep their residence and also to work in Sudan. About 500,000 southern Sudanese, who came to northern Sudan as war refugees in the past decades, still live in the area around Khartoum. "Their future is now uncertain because – by a Sudanese deadline that expired on April 8, 2012 – these refugees are now treated as foreigners. As they do not have a South Sudanese documents of identity, they are now exposed to oppression by the authorities," said Delius. Since Easter, several hundred southern Sudanese people were hindered to leave the country. "Once again, it is the civilians who are tossed about in the struggle for power between the Sudanese and the South Sudanese government. This disgraceful game must come to an end soon, as many refugees are seriously traumatized."