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ALPS Group holds virtual meeting, issues joint statement on crisis in Sudan
The group called on RSF and SAF to take action against 'perpetrators of war crimes and violations of international law, including international humanitarian law'
Photo: AFP File
The ALPS Group held a weekly virtual meeting on September 12, and issued a joint statement on the progress in addressing the crisis in Sudan.
The group seeks to "coordinate efforts to expand emergency humanitarian access and protections for Sudanese civilians, of whom over 25 million are facing famine and acute hunger," according to the statement.
"With increased options for humanitarian access, international donors and aid organizations are mobilising hundreds of thousands of tons of additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan, including food, medicine, and aid helping the most vulnerable, such as women and children. This relief could save countless lives and alleviate suffering for millions of Sudanese."
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The group welcomed the "commitments to humanitarian access" made by the Transitional Sovereign Council, the Sudan Armed Forced (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and asked tjem to effectively facilitate unhindered, safe and rapid access on key roads, including from Port Sudan through Shendi to Khartoum, as well as roads from Khartoum to El Obeid and to Kosti.
ALPS members also called on the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) to swiftly conclude discussions with the humanitarian community on simplifying the notification system.
"There should also be public announcements and implementation of simplified notification systems by both parties to allow the UN and NGOs to execute safe cross-border and cross-line aid deliveries without delays. There should be public announcements of notification systems by both parties to allow the UN to execute safe cross-border and cross-line assistance deliveries as needed without assistance having to wait for formal permissions to save lives," according to the statement.
The statement added: "ALPS group is gravely concerned about increased fighting in El Fasher and the rest of Darfur and calls for an immediate pause to the fighting. We call for humanitarian pauses in Sennar, Khartoum, and al-Jazira states that would allow aid to flow through and to these areas as well. We are prepared to work with all parties so that, together, we can alleviate the acute hunger and famine conditions the Sudanese people currently suffer."
The group also called on RSF and SAF to take action against "perpetrators of war crimes and violations of international law, including international humanitarian law."
"To ensure the expedited delivery of humanitarian assistance and increased humanitarian presence, the ALPS Group urges the RSF and SAF to decree, and ensure the implementation of, all necessary steps for immediate airfield assessments and humanitarian flights into and within Sudan. The RSF issued a command directive to its troops to improve protection of civilians, but the world is still waiting to see it enforced, including on response to recent civilian deaths from shelling in Sennar state and El Fasher."
"Similarly, the ALPS Group asks the SAF to issue a similar directive and take steps to end the aerial bombing of civilian targets and civilian infrastructure. We call for progress towards discussing the compliance mechanism for the obligations of the parties to the Jeddah Declaration, proposed by the ALPS group. This mechanism aims at preventing violations of those obligations by the parties," the statement added.
The group said it continues to "pursue an urgently-needed cessation of hostilities for all of Sudan" and reaffirmed its "dedication to ongoing consultations with Sudanese women as an integral component of the ALPS Group."
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