In SUDO (UK)’s November update monitors warned on the 4th November that the Government of Sudan was preparing for what appeared to be a major offensive in the East Jebel Marra region. This build up of ground troops and military hardware – including technical vehicles, heavy artillery and tanks – was complimented by an increase in militia activity throughout the month of December around the East Jebel Marra region – as will be reported in a soon to be released SUDO (UK) report on human rights abuses throughout Sudan in December 2015. 

In light of the impasse at the 10th round of peace talks in Addis Ababa between the government of Sudan and the SPLM-N, we believe it is critical to recognize that it is a violation of international law to block humanitarian aid to innocent civilians living in conflict zones. Therefore, no party to the conflict should prevent the international community from providing humanitarian aid to the people affected by conflict in the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states, commonly referred to as the Two Areas, of Sudan, or any other area within Sudan. According to multiple UN General Assembly Resolutions, UNOCHA, and the ICRC, humanitarian actions are founded on four guiding principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles provide the foundation to establishing and maintaining access to affected people in a complex emergency such as armed conflict. If humanitarian assistance relief actions do not follow these principles then the entire operation puts the victims of conflict at risk and humanitarian assistance can become a weapon in furtherance of armed conflict.