The Nuba Vision

Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2001

The United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Sudan wrote on 14th May 2001 to the Ambassadors of  several countries listed below, urging them to intervene directly on the matter of humanitarian access after he has exhausted all the efforts to gain access to the Nuba Mountains. He wrote this letter.

Excellencies,

I would like to draw your attention to the issue of humanitarian access to the SPLM-controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains. The United Nations has been engaged in negotiations with both the Government of Sudan and the SPLM for a very long time, but it has not been possible to date to find a solution that is satisfactory for both parties. 

The GoS is insisting that all supplies and personnel access the Nuba SPLM- controlled areas via El-Obied, while the SPLM maintains that the areas under their control should be served directly from either Kenya or other areas under SPLM control in South Sudan. Recently, however, the Government of Sudan has denied the United Nations access via El-Obeid to carry out the second and third  rounds of polio immunisation in SPLM-controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains, In addition. It should be noted that on almost every occasion in 2000 and 2001 the UN and its NGO partners have faced considerable difficulties when trying to obtain permission to travel from Khartoum and /or commencing their travel from El-Obeid. As you will see the letter attached hereby, we have raised this issue with the Government of Sudan, but without obtaining any reply so far.

We now feel that the United Nations has exhausted all avenues to reach a
satisfactory agreement that would ensure safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to the SPLM-controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains. For this reason, your Excellencies, we have decided to solicit your intervention on the matter directly with the Government of Sudan and with the Sudanese Embassies in your respective capitals.

H.E. Ambassador, Embassy of France
H.E. .Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
H.E. Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic
H.E. Ambassador  of Italy
H.E. Ambassador of Japan
H.E. Ambassador of the United Kingdom
The Head of EU Delegation
Charge' d'Affaires, Embassy, Royal Netherlands Embassy
Charge' d'Affaires. Embassy of Switzerland
Charge' d'Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America
Special Representative, Embassy of Norway
Head of Office, Canadian Embassy.

We regret to have acknowledged lack of progress on access negotiations. However, as an inter-governmental organisation we now have to call on the support of our membership to be able to make progress in this matter.

Roger Guarda
UN Resident /Humanitarian Co-ordinator