20100918
Crisis Action

New York — Thousands of activists are gathering at events in 14 countries in a coordinated global day of action, calling on world leaders to take urgent steps to prevent a collapse in diplomacy in Sudan that could lead to deadly conflict in 2011.

Celebrity musicians including Will Champion of Coldplay, Angelique Kidjo and Hugh Masakaela have collaborated on a music video for Sudan that will be released on 19th as part of the campaign's global 'beat for peace'. The campaign is already supported by the world's most famous drummers including Nick Mason, Pink Floyd; Middle Eastern star Mohammed Mounir and Mustapha Tettey Addy from Ghana. Activists will drum along to the celebrities' 'beat for peace' as part of global events.

New York events today include a rally near the UN, at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (E 47th St & 1st Avenue), between 2 and 3 pm and a 30-minute segment dedicated to Sudan during the larger Stand Up Against Poverty event at Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza, between 3.30 and 4 pm. These events are taking place on the eve of the high-level session of the UN General Assembly from 20-24 September, during which time world leaders, including President Obama, will meet in NY to discuss the future of Sudan. Sudan365 campaigners worry that the situation in Sudan has seriously deteriorated and that if handled poorly, the January 2011 referendum for southern independence could have a devastating impact on millions of civilians and regional security. Analysts expect Southern Sudan to vote for independence.

"This global drum beat sends a warning cry. We are at the eleventh hour. Preparations for the referendum are woefully behind schedule and the risk of conflict is increasing. It is time for those governments who promised to help implement the peace agreement to develop a package of pressure and incentives to persuade the Sudanese parties to broker peace and not war," said Dr AlBaqir Alafif Mukhtar, a Sudanese activist who appears in the film and is travelling to New York to meet with officials on Sudan.

The Sudan365 campaign (www.sudan365.org) has been organised by a coalition of groups including Aegis Trust, African Centre for Peace and Justice, Arab Coalition for Darfur, Darfur Consortium, Human Rights Watch, Italians for Darfur, the Norway Sudan Forum, Refugees International, Save Darfur Coalition, Sudan Advocacy Action Forum and Sudan Democracy First Group.

The campaign is targeting the 'Guarantors' of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement; those governments and institutions such as the US, UK, Kenya, Egypt, African Union and EU who promised that they would ensure the peace agreement was upheld. Activists are staging events in all eleven Guarantor states and at the headquarters of Guarantor institutions to call on those leaders to honour their pledge to Sudan and to prevent diplomatic meltdown.

"This drum beat for peace has passed from Cairo to Accra, Barcelona, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles. It is a global cry for our leaders to increase their efforts to prevent widespread conflict returning to Sudan," said Will Champion, the drummer for Coldplay.

Campaigners say that the situation in Sudan has seriously deteriorated. In Darfur, violence continues against civilians, in particular in the IDPs camps. Aid workers have been expelled in recent weeks and kidnappings continue. In North Sudan, there has been a crackdown on human rights defenders, media and political activists since the April elections. In the South, there are fears that inadequate preparations for the referendum and increasing tensions between North and South could derail diplomatic negotiations.

Activists are calling on all Guarantors to use their address at the UN General Assembly to:

1. Reaffirm the right of the people of Southern Sudan to self-determination and pledge to recognise the authentic choice of Southern Sudanese whether they elect for unity or independence

2. Support the preparations for a free and fair referendum. These preparations must include adequate measures to protect civilians from potential violence, especially in volatile areas. Scrutiny over the referendum preparations must begin immediately

3. Call on donors to deliver on past funding pledges to Sudan and to increase their level of engagement in the immediate future, especially in Southern Sudan. Sudan is on course to fail 6 of the 7 Millenium Development Goals being reviewed in New York.

4. Clearly and publicly state that the conflict in Darfur must be resolved, justice delivered for its victims and that international human rights and good governance standards must be respected in Northern as well as in Southern Sudan.