Sudan/South Sudan

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on Sudan,

–   having regard to the UN Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012) of 2 May 2012 on Sudan and Southern Sudan,

–   having regard to the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy /Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton statement welcoming the UN Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012) of 2 May 2012,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the escalation of tensions between Sudan and South Sudan have recently brought the two countries to the brink of war;

B.  whereas repeated incidents of cross-border violence between Sudan and South Sudan, including troop movements, the seizure and occupation of Heglig, support to proxy forces, support for each other’s rebels, the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) have led the conflict to a full-fledged confrontation;

C. whereas the lack of agreement on transitional economic arrangements between the two countries, including on the use of oil, have led to Khartoum’s seizure of Southern oil and South Sudan’s decision to stop oil production, contributed significantly to the present crisis;

D. whereas the distrust between the two neighbouring countries over the division of national debt and how much the land-locked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan are amongst other unsettled issues;

E.  whereas on 29 June 2011 Agreement Between the Government of the Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan on Border Security and the Joint Political and Security Mechanism was concluded, including the commitment to create a safe demilitarized border zone (SDBZ), and on 30 July 2011 Agreement on the Border Monitoring Support Mission Between the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, was concluded;

F.  whereas South Sudan has announced the immediate withdrawal from the Abyei Area in accordance with the Agreement between Sudan and South Sudan of 20 June 2011;

G. whereas decades of mutual distrust prevent either side from making gestures towards de-escalating the situation and pursuing serious negotiations;

H. whereas a large part of the population in the region remains food insecure, a situation that has been aggravated by the conflict, rising commodity prices and aggravating famine in the Horn of Africa;

I.   whereas Sudan and South Sudan are hitted by a severe drought and people have started moving in search of food and according to the UN officials around one million people could be at risk of starvation if food aid is not reached them in the coming months;

J.   worried by the sentence to death by stoning for adultery, passed on Ms Sharif Abdallah, under 18 years old, on 22 April 2012 in the city of Omdruman, near Khartoum;

1.  Calls on the governments of Sudan South Sudan to stop military clashes and to resolve their differences according to the CPA agreement;

2.  Welcomes the fact that Sudan and South Sudan have both agreed to the Roadmap and confirmed their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities is an important first step in the right direction;

3.  Urges Sudan and South Sudan to show their political and practical willingness to pursue the path of peace by addressing the security concerns of both sides through meaningful negotiations within the framework of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism, starting with the unconditionally withdraw all of their armed forces to their side of the border, in accordance with previously adopted Agreements, including the Agreement on the Border Monitoring Support Mission of 30 July 2011;

4.  Urges the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to engage in political dialogue on all the remaining unresolved issues of the CPA; reiterates the EU’s commitments to engage with Sudan and South Sudan to help democratic governance and respect for human rights for all Sudanese people;

5.  Strongly urges Sudan and South Sudan to reach an agreement on the unsolved transitional economic arrangements between the two countries, including on the use of oil;

6.  Calls for the immediate activation of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) by deploying international observers and other personnel on the ground to monitor and help ensure compliance;

7.  Calls on Sudan and South Sudan to implement pending aspects of the 20 June 2011 Agreement on Temporary Security and Administrative Arrangements for the Abyei Area, in particular the redeployment of all Sudanese and South Sudanese forces out of the Abyei Area; welcomes South Sudan’s announcement that it is immediately withdrawing its forces from the Abyei Area and calls on the Government of Sudan to do the same;

8.  Calls on the Sudanese government to repeal the death sentence and guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Ms Sharif Abdallah, calls also on the Sudanese government to reform its legal system in accordance in accordance with international human rights standards;

9.  Calls on the Commission to provide humanitarian aid to Sudan and South Sudan people to avert the looming famine, where the population is fleeing the drought area and this influx of refugees in the rainy season leads to more hunger;

10. Believes that the United Nation Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) needs to be reassessed and reoriented to help the government of South Sudan in civilian protection;

11. Is highly concerned about the reported increased use of land-mines in the region; recalls its firm opposition to the use of land-mines and demands that such activity stop immediately;

12. Instructs its Co-President to forward this resolution to the Council, European Commission, EU High Representative, the EU special representative to South Sudan, the government of Sudan, the government of South Sudan, the UN and the African Union.