[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15484-15485]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 A MESSAGE OF HOPE AND A CALL TO ACTION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 10, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I submit a statement from the Sudan Catholic 
Bishops' Conference (SCBC) titled, ``A Message of Hope and a Call to 
Action.'' The bishops gathered in Juba in July on the eve of an 
historic time for the people of Sudan as they approach the referendum 
in January 2011.

 (Addressed to all the people of Sudan, the Sudanese leaders, and all 
                          people of good will)

       ``The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has 
     anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me 
     to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the 
     blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year 
     acceptable to the Lord.'' (Luke 4:18-19)


                                PREAMBLE

       We, the Catholic Bishops of Sudan, gathered in an 
     Extraordinary Plenary Session in Juba from 15th-22nd July 
     2010, reflecting and praying together on the present 
     situation in Sudan, greet you and present to you this message 
     of hope and call to action.
       This is an historic moment. This is a moment of change. 
     Sudan will never be the same again. After centuries of 
     oppression and exploitation, after decades of war and 
     violence which have marked and marred the lives of so many 
     Sudanese in south and north with no respect for human life 
     and dignity, and now, after 5 years of the Comprehensive 
     Peace Agreement (CPA), we have reached a time to move and 
     prepare for change.
       We believe it is not the will of God for human beings to 
     endure such suffering and oppression, particularly at the 
     hands of fellow human beings, and so we bring a message of 
     hope and encouragement to our people and all people of good 
     will.
       The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and 
     that the dignity of the person is at the core of a moral 
     vision for society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life 
     and the inherent dignity of the human person is the 
     foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. Our 
     tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but 
     also social. How we organise our society directly affects 
     human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in 
     community. Our Church teaches that the role of the government 
     and other institutions is to protect human life and human 
     dignity and promote the common good. Human dignity can be 
     protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if 
     human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. 
     ``The Church has always had the duty of scrutinising the 
     signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the 
     Gospel'' (Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World). The 
     Church is a teacher of truth for humanity and has the right 
     and duty to speak on political and social issues that affect 
     the people.


                                ANALYSIS

     Agreement signed and hopes raised
       When the CPA was signed amid great hope in 2005, a key 
     element was that the unity of Sudan should be made attractive 
     and given a chance by addressing the root causes of the 
     conflicts in Sudan.
       These root causes include:
       Identity--Sudan is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-
     ethnic, multi-religious society, but in practice one entity 
     still dominates and imposes itself on others in an oppressive 
     manner, at every level; and
       A highly centralised system of governance which 
     marginalises those on the periphery.
     Little progress
       The CPA has brought some progress. The conflict between 
     south and north was moved from the military to the political 
     arena. Space was created, after the fighting ceased, for 
     development projects to go ahead in the south and the 
     marginalised areas of Abyei, Nuba Mountains (which is in 
     Southern Kordofan State) and Blue Nile. There have been 
     attempts to address the Millennium Development Goals, 
     particularly in the areas of health and education. 
     Reconstruction and rehabilitation have taken place in many 
     war-afflicted areas. A system of governance has been put in 
     place in these areas which, while still new and fragile, is 
     making great progress. Increased oil revenue has become 
     available to both north and south. There is freedom of 
     movement. There is an increased awareness of human rights. 
     Elections have been held peacefully, although not perfectly.
       However, war continues in Darfur. Islam continues to be the 
     source of legislation in the north, which adversely affects 
     the rights of all, particularly non-Muslims. The human rights 
     climate is deteriorating again. A number of oppressive laws, 
     including the National Security Act, have not been repealed 
     or brought in line with the new Interim Constitution. The 
     powers of the national security organs, characterised by 
     torture, intimidation and detention without trial, have not 
     been curtailed. Humanitarian organisations in Darfur and the 
     rest of the north are subject to restrictive regulations and 
     kidnappings, and many have been expelled.
       Weak governance in the south gives rise to corruption, 
     nepotism, lack of respect for human rights, harassment of 
     humanitarian agencies and power struggles. Divisions among 
     peoples are being exploited by some elements. Violence still 
     afflicts many parts of southern Sudan. Incursions by the 
     Lord's Resistance Army continue. Many people still suffer 
     food insecurity and lack of basic services.
     Unity or secession, what do they mean?
       If unity is an option, we must understand what kind of 
     unity we are speaking of. It must be a unity embracing all, 
     in a just, free and open society, where the human dignity of 
     every citizen is safeguarded and respected. All indications 
     are that unity has not been made attractive to the people of 
     southern Sudan. At the same time, the root causes of the 
     conflicts have not been addressed. The leadership of Sudan 
     and the political establishment bear a great responsibility 
     for this tragic situation. A unity which binds and oppresses, 
     prohibits all opposition, a unity which imposes uniformity 
     and condemns those who differ in faith and culture must be 
     rejected. If secession is chosen, what are the challenges 
     that will face the people of both north and south Sudan? How 
     will the precious values of honesty and integrity, tolerance 
     and respect, compassion for the weak and poor, be upheld and 
     guaranteed? How will good governance and the rule of law be 
     assured? How will the dignity of the human person and the 
     common good be respected and protected?


                             THE REFERENDUM

     The process
       The CPA provides that the people of southern Sudan should 
     exercise their right to self-determination through a 
     referendum to determine their future status in accordance 
     with the provisions of the Interim National Constitution of 
     2005 and the Southern Sudan Referendum Act of 2009.
       We remain deeply concerned that the time remaining before 
     the due date of 9th January 2011 is painfully short and 
     inadequate, and there is a fear that the CPA signatories have 
     not prioritised this and that transparency and inclusiveness 
     are lacking.
       The following have not been done or are behind schedule:
       The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission has barely begun 
     its work;
       Demarcation of the north-south borders is not complete;
       Regulations and procedures for the referendum have not been 
     provided;
       Establishment of High Referendum Committees in states is 
     not completed;
       Formation of sub-committees in counties and referendum 
     centres is not completed;
       Voter eligibility has not yet been clarified;
       Registration has not even begun;
       Registers and other referendum materials have not been 
     provided; and
       Voter awareness and education has barely begun, and indeed 
     cannot proceed without clarification of some of the above 
     issues.
       Secession can be chosen by a simple majority of 50% plus 
     one of votes cast. However there is also a requirement that 
     60% of registered voters must cast their vote in order for 
     secession to take place. If fewer than 60% cast their votes, 
     the status quo (unity) continues. We fear that this voter 
     turnout condition may lead to confusion and manipulation. The 
     registration of voters residing outside southern Sudan 
     presents real problems in establishing voter eligibility and 
     monitoring the legitimacy of the process.
     The transitional areas
       The people of Abyei also have a referendum to choose to 
     remain in Southern Kordofan or to become part of Warrap State 
     in Greater Bahr el Ghazal. Borders and voter eligibility have 
     officially been agreed, but there remain currents of 
     dissatisfaction amongst other groups in the area which could 
     derail the process. The Abyei Referendum Commission has not 
     yet been formed. Abyei has already experienced outbreaks of 
     violence and we fear further violence. The people of the Nuba 
     Mountains (in Southern Kordofan State) and Blue Nile State do 
     not have the right of self-determination, despite the fact 
     that many feel culturally and ethnically connected to the 
     south and fought alongside southerners in the liberation 
     struggle. They have a form of popular consultation which has 
     still not been clearly understood, and which appears to give 
     the decision to legislators and the Presidency rather than 
     directly to the people. The popular consultation mechanisms 
     are already behind schedule in the Nuba Mountains (Southern 
     Kordofan). We fear that popular consultation, even if free 
     and fair, does not meet the aspirations of a large section of 
     the population of these two areas, as they have no choice but 
     to remain under northern governance.
       We fear that dissatisfaction in all three of these 
     transitional areas may lead to violence which could derail 
     any peaceful future for the whole of Sudan.
     Post-referendum arrangements
       We are encouraged to note that the two CPA signatories have 
     created structures to negotiate post-referendum arrangements, 
     which are crucial to a peaceful future, whatever the outcome 
     of the referendum. However we are concerned at the late 
     establishment of these structures, and the absence of Church, 
     civil society and other actors, which

[[Page 15485]]

     could lead to a lack of transparency and inclusiveness.


                             CALL TO ACTION

       We call upon our brothers and sisters and all people of 
     good will to pray earnestly for a peaceful and fruitful 
     referendum. May the God of Justice and Truth guide us all at 
     this momentous time. We urge our leaders in both north and 
     south to ensure that the referenda for southern Sudan and 
     Abyei should take place on time, in a free and fair manner, 
     and that the outcomes are recognised and respected. The 
     referendum process must be conducted peacefully and 
     transparently.
       We urge those who are leading the referendum process to 
     redouble their efforts to ensure that all outstanding 
     measures are implemented in good time.
       We call upon the international community to assist in the 
     technical, logistical and operational stages of the 
     referendum, to monitor and observe the process from start to 
     finish, to guarantee implementation of the results and to 
     mediate in case of any disagreement. We place our trust in 
     those who have accompanied the peace process so far, 
     particularly IGAD and friends of IGAD, (USA, UK, Italy and 
     Norway), AU, UN, Arab league, to continue to encourage the 
     signatories to implement the referendum, and to act in the 
     interests of the people of Sudan as impartial and honest 
     brokers.
       We call upon all citizens who register, to ensure that they 
     actually cast their vote. We urge international and domestic 
     monitors to pay close attention to the registration process 
     from the beginning, and particularly to the registration of 
     those living outside southern Sudan. Our hearts are pained by 
     reports of intimidation and threats causing fear among 
     southerners living and working in northern Sudan as we 
     approach the time of the referendum. We urge all parties to 
     guarantee the safety and freedom of all people of Sudan in 
     the run up to the referendum and beyond, regardless of the 
     outcome.
       In the event that unity of Sudan is the legitimate outcome 
     of the process, we call for a change of heart among those in 
     power, to bring about a unity embracing all, in a just, free 
     and open society, where the human dignity of every citizen is 
     safeguarded and respected. In the event that the people of 
     southern Sudan choose secession, we call upon those in power 
     to ensure good neighbourly relations and a smooth and 
     peaceful transition. In particular we encourage the parties 
     to reach amicable solutions to practical questions such as 
     oil, citizenship and border issues--solutions which benefit 
     all.
       We urge the authorities in northern Sudan to respect the 
     freedom and human rights, including freedom of religion, of 
     all inhabitants. Given the fears which exist in the hearts of 
     southerners in the north, it is important to create a climate 
     of human security and well-being, and respect of basic human 
     rights, in accordance with Sudan's obligations under the 
     Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter 
     on Human and Peoples' Rights.
       We urge the authorities in southern Sudan to respect the 
     rights of northerners in the south. We call for good 
     governance, with zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism, 
     and an increased delivery of basic services. We call on all 
     parties, factions and ethnic groups to end violence and to 
     unite for the common good.
       We also call for ways to be found to meet the legitimate 
     aspirations of the people of Nuba mountains ( in Southern 
     Kordofan state) and Blue Nile state.


                               COMMITMENT

       We commit ourselves and our Church to the work of peace-
     building and reconciliation on a daily and practical basis, 
     in collaboration with others and in line with Catholic Social 
     Teaching. We pledge ourselves to journey together with our 
     people towards a just and lasting peace.


                               CONCLUSION

       ``I call heaven and earth today to witness against you; I 
     have set before you life and death, the blessing and the 
     curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may 
     live . . .'' (Deuteronomy 30:19)
       We have come a long way to reach this point. Our journey 
     has not been easy and we have met with great difficulties. 
     But we have faced these challenges as best we could with the 
     help of God.
       Our hope is not dimmed, and we look to the future with 
     confidence in God's loving care for us all.
       We therefore encourage all those who are entitled to vote 
     in the referenda in Southern Sudan and in Abyei to choose 
     what kind of future they, their children and generations to 
     come will enjoy. We encourage them to choose what kind of 
     life they and their offspring will have, a life of freedom 
     with justice and equal rights for all. As the Shepherds of 
     the Church in Sudan we place our hope in God and look forward 
     to a just and peaceful society where each person's rights and 
     dignity are upheld.
       We encourage them to choose life.
       ``For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says 
     the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give 
     you a future full of hope.'' (Jeremiah 29:11)

                          ____________________