The Sudan Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives convened for a briefing on the escalating crisis in the Nuba Mountains last week. One of several ongoing conflicts in Sudan, systematic violence in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states targets civilians and is perpetrated by rebels groups and government forces.
The Enough Project's Jonathan Hutson joined panelists Jonathan Temin of the U.S. Institute of Peace, EJ Hogendoorn of the International Crisis Group, and Lauren Ploch Blanchard of the Congressional Research Service to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis and how the international community can work to end the suffering and address underlying causes of violence. The panelists each offered insights into the current conflict, including historical background and recommendations for achieving lasting peace in the region.
The U.N. estimates over 200,000 people have been displaced from South Kordofan and Blue Nile and fled over the borders into South Sudan and Ethiopia. Fighting has trapped many more in the Nuba Mountains without access to humanitarian aid. "The SPLM-N rebels and the government of Sudan are locked in a strategic stalemate and will continue unless something changes from the outside," said Hogendoorn. Temin emphasized that the Tripartite Process has been unsuccessful in securing humanitarian access to the two states, and the piecemeal solutions of the past are no longer an option in resolving the crisis.
Hutson highlighted the work of Satellite Sentinel Project , or SSP, which analyzes satellite imagery and eyewitness reports from the ground to monitor and report threats to human security in the Sudans. Most recently, SSP has [view whole blog post ]