Peace process for South Sudan in danger – Protect human rights – Prevent a new war!

The fifth anniversary of the peace agreement between North and South Sudan is coming (09.01.) and Amnesty International (AI) and the Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV) have issued a warning on a possible collapse of the peace process in South Sudan. Together with Sudanese members of both human rights organisations beat on drums in Berlin on Thursday in front of the Brandenburger Tor to draw attention to the growing danger of a new war. A large pile of old shoes brought back to memory the two million victims of the wars between North and South Sudan in the past 55 years and warned: It is a matter of urgency for Europe to take more energetic action to prevent a failure of the peace process.

Not only in the German capital, but also in 14 other countries on four continents a large alliance of human rights organisations and aid agencies is drawing attention to the anniversary of the peace agreement with symbolic campaigns on the danger of war in South Sudan .

"We are beating drums in Berlin to point out symbolically that the struggle for the control of the rich oil-fields in Sudan is stirring up real conflict”, said AI and the STP. Since the beginning of 2009 the violence in South Sudan has escalated once more. Conflicts between ethnic groups and fighting in the border area between North and South Sudan have demanded 2,500 dead to date. More than 50,000 people have had to flee for their lives.

On 9th January 2005 the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA/SPLM) signed a comprehensive peace agreement. Apart from a democratisation of North Sudan it provides for autonomy for South Sudan and a referendum on the future of South Sudan in January 2011. But in view of the rising violence it is becoming increasingly uncertain whether the referendum and the parliamentary elections in Sudan planned for April 2010 will actually take place. Many other provisions included in the peace agreement have not yet been implemented.