Children living in Sudan’s Nuba mountains watch for government bombers overhead.
Tonight’s Unreported World, the first of a new series, gives a horrifying insight into the atrocities committed against the people of Sudan by their government. President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur, is waging an unrelenting genocidal campaign against civilians in the south of the country, killing thousands in airstrikes, and thousands more by refusing to allow international supplies – aid, medicine, and food – into the area.
‘When the plane comes we make them run to the caves to save their lives,’ the children’s headteacher explains.
In July 2011, following a 20-year civil war, Bashir’s country split, and the Republic of South Sudan was formed. Bashir, intent on imposing Islamic law throughout Sudan, began a war to destroy the ‘Christian sympathisers’ of the South. ‘There will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity’, Bashir declared. ‘Islam [will be] the official religion and Arabic the official language.’
Allegedly targeting opposition supporters, he vowed, ‘we will force them back into the mountains and starve them.’ But when Channel 4 reporter Aidan Hartley and director Daniel Bogado travelled to the Nuba mountains, the region blighted by government airstrikes, they found that civilians, rather than guerrilla groups, are frequently the focus of the onslaught.
Only minutes into the documentary, Hartley, Bogado and their rebel escorts spot Antonov bombers circling overhead. The production crew dive to the ground; the rebels, members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, fire at the sky. This time, they’re lucky. The planes fly on to another target.
‘There will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity. Islam [will be] the official religion and Arabic the official language.’
Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan
But they show that hundreds of men, women and children are not so fortunate. Dr Tom Catena, an American missionary and the only surgeon at the Mother of Mercy hospital – the single medical facility in Nuba, claims that 80% of the strike victims he treats are civilians. The hospital has 80 beds. When Unreported World visited, there were 500 patients.
Daniel, 14, had to have both his arms amputated following an Antonov bombing. His uncle told the team:
‘Daniel went out with the cattle. The Antonov came and dropped a bomb on him. He tried to lay down…but before he could get down properly, the bomb exploded and shrapnel cut off both his arms.’
Then there is 11-year-old Sabir. Bomb shrapnel ripped off his nose and half his face, leaving him permanently disfigured. And in the women’s ward, teenage mother Alawiya tells Hartley how a strike that blew off her arms also claimed her mother, sisters and baby.
‘Is there nobody who can see the… tears of the Nuba people?’ one of the nurses asks. ‘Is there nobody who can speak on their behalf to say stop?
Mother of Mercy hospital – the single medical facility in Nuba – has 80 beds. When Unreported World visited, there were 500 patients.
‘Where are the powerful nations? Where is the international community? Where is the UN security council?’ she implores.
Meanwhile, in the Nuba mountains, children climb down from caves littering the hillside. An estimated 350,000 civilians have fled their homes due to the violence: many now live in the cracks between sandy boulders. Eating leaves, wild berries, and – if they are able – a handful of contaminated grain, the families barely survive. But they are determined to try.
Hand-in-hand, the children walk to a school set up by the families of the caves. Hundreds of them stand in a circle, singing together, trying to retain a semblance of normality. Then, a government warplane flies overhead, and the children scatter into the folds of the mountain.
‘When the plane comes we make them run to the caves to save their lives,’ the children’s headteacher explains.
Tonight’s Unreported World is a brave and invaluable documentary that gives an insight into one of the most pressing human rights issues of our generation. It calls for urgent international action to prevent government airstrikes and Bashir’s ‘politically generated famine’. It’s a cause that has hit the headlines, most recently when Hollywood actor and activist George Clooney was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC, after campaigning to stop the ‘man-made tragedy’ unfolding in the Nuba region.
‘Best estimate is tens of thousands of people are going to die from starvation… this isn’t a famine, this is a man-made tragedy by the government of Khartoum to get these people to leave,’ Clooney said following his release. Clooney caused a stir in the international community – let’s hope this powerful documentary forces the world’s superpowers to sit up and listen.
Unreported World: Terror in Sudan airs tonight, Friday 13 April, at 7.30pm on Channel 4.
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April 13th, 2012 at 12:54 pm (#)
Bolis Longy
General Secretary
Nuba Mountains Association Inc.
28 Fullham Rd
Blacktown NSW 2148
31 January 2012
Humanitarian Program Submission
Assistant Secretary
Humanitarian Branch
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
PO Box 25 Belconnen ACT 2616
Humanitarian Program Submission
The Nuba Mountains Association is in regular contact with the community of people who have migrated to Australia from the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan, Sudan. Our community is most concerned about the intensifying violence and humanitarian crisis of Kordofan, and about a related crisis in the Sudanese state of the Blue Nile. Noting that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s consultation process aims to `respond to world events, to focus on the resettlement of those in most humanitarian need’ we wish to draw your attention to the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the southern states of Sudan, those which border on the recently created nation of South Sudan.
The humanitarian situation in these areas of conflict has been significantly redefined by the creation of the new state of South Sudan. The states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile were, like the areas of former Sudan now encompassed by the borders of South Sudan, promised consultation on the question of secession from Sudan as part of the 2005 peace agreement. In the case of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, this consultation was never conducted. The rebel forces (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army and others) within these states are now isolated from their former support base to the south due to the secession of South Sudan, and are resisting government requests to disarm.
The rebel challenge to Sudanese state power is being met through methods similar to those leading to President a- Bashir being charged as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court: the civilian support base of the rebel forces has become the target for an intensive and sustained bombing attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces. Access to the contested areas by humanitarian NGOs and United Nation observers is severely restricted by the Sudanese government, so that the full extent of violations of human rights and war crimes resulting from attacks by air and ground forces can only be estimated by extrapolating from the available reports of individual incidents (see fully referenced reports available at http://www.sudanbombing.org for the best example of this method, last updated 12 January 2012) and through the volume of displacement from the areas of conflict.
The character of the attacks on civilian populations in South Kordofan in June 2011 has be documented in the Thirteenth periodic report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, (August, 2011) . The report documents human rights violations including: “serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention, enforced disappearances, attacks against civilians, looting of civilian homes and destruction of property. ”(p.2). We have found no evidence to suggest the character of the conflict has changed to date and numbers of refugees continue to flow out of the areas in conflict.
The most recent numbers provided by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance of refugee arrivals in South Sudan due to displacements due to fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state are 78,000, with 110,000 also arriving from Abyei alone. Total numbers displaced or seriously affected by conflict in Sudan in 2011 is over 700,000.
In the medium term it is unlikely the situation will change. Sudan and South Sudan are in deep conflict over charges for access to the oil pipeline through Sudan, the definition of the border and alleged support for the rebels provided by the South Sudanese government or populations.
Implications for Australia’s Humanitarian Program
The situation in Kordofan and Blue Nile states presents a new humanitarian challenge to the world. As both persons of Nubian origin and Australian citizens and residents, we believe our new homeland has a place to play in meeting this challenge. The consolidation of the communities of Sudanese origin in Australia demonstrates the capacity of people of Sudanese origin to successfully settle in Australia and contribute to its wellbeing. The establishment of the nation of South
Sudan cannot, at this point in time, justify cessation of a humanitarian intake of persons of Sudanese origin. For the peoples of the southern states of Sudan – South Kordofan, the Blue Nile and also Darfur- it may well be that conflict and related humanitarian crisis has intensified post the formation of South Sudan as the ample resources of the Sudanese Armed Forces are now applied to a smaller area of conflict.
We recognise that a large portion of refugees from South Kordofan may settle well in South Sudan or other neighbouring countries. We believe there will nevertheless be a significant number of refugees who, for a variety of reasons, chose other less satisfactory or more dangerous options. We know, for example, that exodus from Darfur to Chad can result in forced return and that illegal crossings of refugees into Egypt has resulted in the deaths of some Sudanese refugees.
We ask that Australia’s Humanitarian Settlement Program remains aware of the needs of refugees from South Kordofan, particularly from the Nuba Mountain where the population is known to be targeted due its long standing desire to secede from Sudan, and its related support for rebel forces. Settlement in neighbouring countries may not be the best option for a portion of these refugees. We therefore recommend that those refugees from the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states that are found to be of greatest need, due to trauma, mental health or other issues, should be considered as candidates for Australia’s Humanitarian intake.
Yours Sincerely
Elsadig Goro
Foreign faire secretary
Bolis Longy
General Secretary
Nuba Mountains Association
Attached: Summary of references `Current humanitarian crisis south states of Sudan.doc’
Attachment to submission re. Australia’s humanitarian program
Current humanitarian crisis and prospect for civilian populations of Blue Nile and South Kordofan states of Sudan – selected sources available on the web
Prepared with assistance from Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre
Introduction
Conflict between government and rebel forces for control of South Kordofan and Blue Nile – southern states of Sudan bordering on the recently formed nation of South Sudan – has led to a sustained campaign of air bombardments on civilian populations and targets by the Sudan Armed Forces. The toll of this campaign is difficult to chronicle and is available only through a collection of reports of individual incidents such as those compiled by websites http://www.sudanbombing.org and through the large bodies of refugees created by the conflict. It is to be expected that the actions of rebel forces have also contributed to flight from areas of conflict.
In respect to the scale of the refugee crisis, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has published a map (Sudan: 2012 Humanitarian Snapshot) summarising the organisation’s records for internally and externally displaced regions of Sudan. The Snapshot shows that since the beginning of 2011 a total of 258,000 persons have been externally displaced from Sudan and 440,000 internally displaced or severely affected by the conflicts.
People displaced or severely affected by conflict in Sudan 2011- 18 January 2012
Abyei * South Kordofan Blue Nile Darfur Total
Externally displaced 110,000 to South Sudan 24,000 (to South Sudan)
35,000 (to Khartoum) 54,000 (to South Sudan)
35,000 (to Ethiopia) - 258,000
Internally displaced or severely affected 300,000 60,000 80,000 440,000
Source: Sudan_2012Humanitarian Snapshot_18 January 2012.pdf, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, http://reliefweb.int/node/472509 accessed 27 January 2012
*The inclusion of Abyei within the borders of South Sudan is contested by the Sudanese government, which claims it as part of South Kordofan.
A large portion of these movements have taken place as a result of conflicts following the establishment of the nation of South Sudan. Conflict in Abyei , is thought to have been related to attempts by the Sudan government to secure its claim to that oil-rich region and resulted in a rapid flight of 110,000 as a result of conflict in June. Conflict in other areas has arisen due to the presence and activity of rebel forces that are now isolated from support to the south, resistant to government demands to disarm, and which still claim to represent the political aspirations of a significant proportion of the population in the regions in which they operate.
Selected sources
Thirteenth periodic report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, (August, 2011) . The report documents human rights violations in South Kordofan in June 2011 including: “serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention, enforced disappearances, attacks against civilians, looting of civilian homes and destruction of property ”(p.2). http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full_report_217.pdf, accessed 27 January 2012.
`Cold blooded murder in the Nuba Mountains’, report by Samuel Totten, Sudan Tribune (online),
2 July 2011
Report of actions of Sudanese Armed Forces in South Kordafan and Nuba Mountains in previous four weeks. Article suggest the June campaign was a strategic attempt by the Al-Bashir led government of Sudan to improve its bargaining position over the contested and oil rich region of Abeyi, located on the border region between Sudan and South Sudan.
http://www.sudantribune.com/Cold-blooded-mass-murder-in-the,39420 accessed 20 January 2011
In pictures: Sudan’s Nuba mountain conflict
Nine photographs by Trevor Snapp, last update to site 29 July, show images from conflict in South Kordofan region of Sudan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-14198745, accessed 20 January 2012
`Khartoum says oil deal with South depends on border security’, Sudan Tribune, 18 January 2012
Reports on the developing conflict between Sudan and South Sudan regarding South Sudan’s refusal to meet fees levied for use of oil pipeline, Sudan’s action to appropriate oil in lieu of fees claimed for use of pipeline since secession of South Sudan. Talks to resolve this conflict broke down 17 January 2012, due in part to an allegation by Sudan that the South Sudanese government is supporting rebel forces of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army in Sudan’s border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Sudan is asking South Sudan for a fee of $36 to use the pipeline.
http://www.sudantribune.com/Khartoum-says-oil-deal-with-South,41338 accessed 20 January 2012
`They bombed everything that moved’ report by Eric Reeves, Sudan Tribune, 15 January 2012
Reports United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimation of 100,000 displaced from Sudan due to recent conflict at 28 November, 2012. Provides detailed account of air bombardment of civilian targets in southern states of Sudan from June 2011.
http://www.sudantribune.com/SUDAN-They-bombed-everything-that,41295
accessed 20 January 2012
`Sudan: UN warns of looming food crisis in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states`, UN News Service, 12 October 2011. Reports that the FAO stated at least 235,000 are in need of food assistance due to damage to food production capacity in regions controlled by rebel forces.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39937&Cr=Kordofan&Cr1, accessed 20 January 2012
Oxfam withdraws its staff from Upper Nile due to insecurity, 16 November 2012, Sudanese Radio Service,
Reports removal of 22 Oxfam staff from Upper Nile
http://www.occasionalwitness.com/Articles/20111116.html, accessed 20 January 2012
‘UN official urges more help for South Sudan to cope with crises’, UN News Service, 9 January 2012
Reports 80,000 refugees having crossed from Sudan into South Sudan as a result of fighting in South Kordafan and Blue Nile states.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40904&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1= accessed 20 January 2012
Sudan_2012Humanitarian Snapshot_18 January 2012.pdf, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
http://reliefweb.int/node/472509 accessed 27 January 2012
Summary given in introduction above.
April 13th, 2012 at 8:04 pm (#)
Please advise name of charity who is co-ordinating aid
thxs