Sudan: Majority of humanitarian NGO have *not* been issued new sudan visas since conflict began

"The denial of humanitarian assistance as a crime under international law"

A TWEET by William Carter @WillCarter_NRC
Father. Country Director #Sudan @NRC_Norway
Dated Sunday 18 June 2023; 2:50 pm - full copy:

majority of #humanitarian ngo have *not* been issued new #sudan visas in the two months since the #conflict began

about 100 visa applications are still pending from over 30 orgs

we've had a team of 20 on standby for over a month - we could've helped 200k #displaced people by now.  instead its far less, and will take longer - time which nobody can afford

its clear that humanitarian #access is impeded but unclear if its indecision or intention.  its not a capacity bottleneck - visas are issued for non-humanitarian efforts

regardless, ministries and federal authorities can and should easily unblock this

these unnecessary delays have huge, real-life consequence for the humanitarian response, for delivering #aid and services to millions who are suffering

un ga resolution 46/182 outlines that 'states whose populations are in need of humanitarian assistance are called upon to facilitate the work of these organisations in implementing humanitarian assistance' (para. 6), and that the un has a 'central and unique role to play' to 'ensure the prompt and smooth delivery of relief assistance' (para. 13) -- so the un in all its councils, assemblies, members, and agencies all need to fulfil their role too

this hasn't happened yet

i often reflect on this icrc article, which argues that the denial of humanitarian assistance is a crime under international law (https://icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jq32.htm…), and wonder why global, continental, and regional powers so easily tolerate such arbitrary impediments from the icrc's commentary of the geneva conventions, which form the core of international humanitarian #law and regulate the conduct of armed conflict, they outline that its not really up to the discretion of warring parties: 

"if the survival of the population is threatened and a humanitarian organization fulfilling the required conditions of impartiality and non-discrimination is able to remedy this situation, relief actions must take place (...) [a] refusal would be equivalent to a violation of the rule prohibiting the use of starvation as a method of combat"

there are positive signs of support and permission with many state-level authorities, embassy consular staff, and even the federal-level humanitarian aid commission is supportive of ngo visa issuance, but:

-not all high-level decision-makers are facilitating

-few stakeholders are confronting/resolving this

-ngos are operating, but quickly scaling is v difficult

-all sudanese civilians are suffering for it

View original: 

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1670428651299405825

[Ends]

Calls for US govt to asset freeze Sudan's Salah Gosh

PRESS RELEASE

From and by The Sentry.org

Dated Wednesday 14 August 2019 

U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Former Head of Sudan's Intelligence and Security Service

The Sentry Lauds Action, Urges U.S to Add Asset Freeze to Visa Ban, as State Department Cites Involvement of Salah Gosh in "Gross Human Rights Violations," Credible Information on Involvement in Torture

August 14, 2019 (Washington D.C.) -- Today, the United States designated Salah Abdalla Mohamed Mohamed Salih known as Salah Gosh, the former director general of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights. 

Specifically, the Department has credible information that Salah Gosh was involved in torture during his tenure as head of NISS.

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, said: "Finally, after years of sowing terror and chaos in war-torn parts of Sudan, Salah Gosh has finally experienced the first of what hopefully will be many consequences for his misdeeds.  The U.S. government should build on this action and impose an asset freeze on Gosh and any of his commercial collaborators found to be complicit in his human rights and financial crimes.  Such actions will provide a message to all the peace spoilers that business as usual in Sudan -- which has been responsible for war and mass corruption -- is no longer acceptable."

To view full copy click here: https://thesentry.org/2019/08/14/2942/u-s-slaps-sanctions-former-head-sudans-intelligence-security-service/

- - -

Note from Sudan Watch Editor 

HERE is a copy of a Tweet by Justin Lynch@just1nlynch dated Thu 15 Aug 2019:

• The sanctioning comes amid a few events, and its not known if they are related. 
• 1- US had intelligence issues in Sudan at the beginning of the summer. 
• 
  
• 2-In the past month there was a discussion inside the FFC to push for Gosh to be the 6th civilian, a top official pushing the plan told me. Official said people in FFC disagreed with him but argued Gosh could be useful because he knows many "files." 
• 
  
• 3-A word of advice for everyone is to be cautious about how much Gosh actually helped with CT during his last stint as spy chief.
• 
  
• 4-During the past four months Gosh has been trying to convince people he was close with the Americans. On at least two occasions, people close to him put out disinformation about his relationship with the USA.
• 
  
• 5-Gosh once told me the only people he listened to in the US govt were Pompeo and Bolton. 
• 
  
• 6-Salah Gosh will still have influence in Sudan.
• To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/just1nlynch/status/1161899847739420672

- - -

Decision to ban Gosh from entering US, even though he was their man

HERE is a copy of a Tweet by James Copnall @JamesCopnall dated 14 Aug 2019:

On Salah Gosh: Suliman Baldo tells Newsday @bbcworldservice he thinks decision to ban him from entering US was for these reasons: send warning to TMC; show Sudanese people the US supports them;  show US still has ability to impose sanctions. #Sudan

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/JamesCopnall/status/1161853732700786688

Note from Sudan Watch Editor:  

@khalidalbaih replied to James' tweet with an insightful comment saying:

"Even though he was their man. Very American of them." 

To visit the tweet click here: https://twitter.com/khalidalbaih/status/1161882113479774208