Originally published on the CGS blog on March 13, 2012.
South Sudan and Sudan continue to fight for territory. The regime’s target is now the people in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. More than a 100,000 residents have fled to the south after violence erupted in the contested region of Abyei. The Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has denied international relief for the people, and government military forces continue to move south, encouraged by the lack of response from around the world.
Escalating the mass murders of the Nuba and Blue Nile population, the Sudanese regime has deployed bombers to the border regions. Reporters describe being on the ground when suddenly civilians scramble to find a hiding place whenever they hear planes. Thousands are living in caves, hoping that heavy boulders will provide shelter from the bombings. The wounded have to be driven to American hospitals, more than five hours away. Sudanese officials declare that the bombers have been sent to target rebel forces; however survivors and foreign reporters argue that civilians are being targeted. Along with eliminating natural resources, government military units have captured children and raided homes. They have also allegedly fired weapons into unarmed crowds and randomly rounded people up for execution.
The effects of these mass murders are unimaginable and long-lasting. The Sudanese people have not been able to prepare for the planting season. Villagers fear being caught in the fields when military air raids begin. U.N. officials stated that no more than 10 to 15 percent of the usual harvest will be available for the region’s populations this year, resulting in famine and increasing deaths. A hunger crisis is unavoidable without humanitarian aid at this point. Even if both nations implement the February 10th nonaggression and cooperation agreement, thousands of dislocated people in the region will not have enough food to survive.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Army will continue to fight in this civil war. Bashir’s military forces will continue to raid villages, plant land mines, abuse women and set bombers loose on their people, all of which are crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Bashir in 2009, but he continues to travel freely in Africa. He has been accused of war crimes and genocide in Darfur. While the situation in South Kordofan is similar to Darfur, the United Nations and the Security Council have been slow to respond. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, has expressed disappointment of American leadership in resolving these human rights violations. A famine is a problem for the Nuba people and for those concerned with criminals that lack respect for humanity.
