Honorable Senator John McCain
United States Senates in
Washington DC
Dear Senator McCain,
We, the South Sudanese Americans, residing here in the Great State of Arizona, are writing to you as our representative in the US Senate to bring to your attention our concern about the current conflict between the Republic of South Sudan and the country of Sudan.
As you are aware, South Sudan became an independent country on July 9, 2011, as per 2005 Comprehensive peace Agreement which was brokered by the United States, Sudan still committed atrocities by using aerial bombardment in civilians of south sudan. before independence of South Sudan, Sudan’s president Omar Bashir, was indited by the International Criminal Court years back for Genocide in Darfur and He is now committing another atrociy in the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this new nation, the republic of south sudan.
It is well known that, South Sudan was a separate entity with clearly demarcated borders during the British rule in the Sudan and remained so until Sudan became independent in 1956. Despite this fact, Bashir refused border demarcation between the two countries of the Sudan and continues to occupy several territories of South Sudan including the areas of Abyei, Panthou(Heglig) and Kafie Kingia because they are rich in natural resources such as oil and coppers. Bashir hopes to redraw the map of the Sudan in order to annex those South Sudanese areas to the Sudan.
He(Bashir) has been launching aerial bombardments and ground assaults against the innocent people inside the territory of the Republic of South Sudan; killing unarmed civilians, and destroying properties. Bashir is training and arming South Sudanese militias who are destabilizing and terrorizing the civil populations especially in the border areas such as: Northern Upper Nile, Northern Unity State, Northern BaherElghazal State and Northwestern. Bashir stealt south sudan oil months ago which result to closure of oil production in new nation, the republic of south sudan. while south sudan governmnent is willing to negotiate, Bashir government refused to allow South Sudan to export its oil through Sudan depriving the people of both countries the oil revenues despite the fact that, the economy in both countries needs these revenues to boost the two nations’economy’s.
Senator McCain, we are afraid that this conflict between the two Sudans if unresolved, will impedes regional economic growth and jeopardizes regional security. For these reasons, we are asking your office to seek immediate solution to this conflict which is now claiming more innocent lives. We believe that unless an enormous amount of pressure is exerted on the Sudan’s President Omar Bashir, the road map proposed by the African Union(AU) and endorsed by the UN Security Councils(UNSC) to resolve all the outstanding issues between South and Sudan will bear no fruits. President Bashir, who is known internationally for dishonoring agreements including the UN security council resolutions, must be forced to:
- Cease hostilities and stop aggressions including ground and aerial attacks against South Sudan.
- Withdraw his forces from all the disputed areas and accept border demarcation between Sudan and South Sudan base on the map of the Sudan as it stood on January 1, 1956.
- Allow the people of the Dinka Nogok Nine Chiefdoms to exercise their right of self determination as per Abyei Protocol of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
- Implement the Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains Protocols of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
- Provide safety to South Sudan citizens stranded in the Sudan until they can be transported back to the Republic of South Sudan.
- Allow South Sudan to exports its oil through Sudan in return for a reasonable transit fee in accordance with international standards.
- Stop harboring and supporting South Sudanese militias that are destabilizing and terrorizing civil population in the border areas.
With the above steps, it is possible that the AU and UN road maps could bring peace to the Sudans. Finally, we would like to thank the people of United States for their tireless support to the people of South Sudan especially during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the referendum in December 2011. We wish you good luck and God bless America and the Republic of South Sudan.
Sincerely,
South Sudanese in the State of Arizona