Contact: Jeff Walton, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, jwalton@TheIRD.org

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- In light of an escalating crisis in Sudan, U.S.-based activists Jimmy Mulla, president of Voices for Sudan, and Faith J.H. McDonnell, director of Religious Liberty Programs at the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) urge President Obama immediately to impose consequences on Sudan's National Congress Party (NCP) for ongoing human rights violations against all of Sudan's marginalized people.

On December 20, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., Voices for Sudan will hold a rally at the White House. Southern Sudanese, Darfurians, Nuba Mountains, Beja, Nubians, Blue Nile, and others will gather along with American supporters to "March for Justice and Accountability." All who care about peace and justice in Sudan are urged to attend.

The U.S. Sudan policy, released last October, promised to hold Khartoum accountable for its actions. But a crackdown on protestors and the arrest of two senior opposition leaders on December 7 is only the most recent of the NCP's human rights violations. The Islamist regime is responsible for ongoing genocide in Darfur and for supporting militia groups responsible for the death of over 2,000 people in Southern Sudan in 2009. It has also failed to implement the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The morning of December 7, Sudan security forces arrested Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary General Pagan Amum, the SPLM Deputy Secretary General for the North, Yasir Arman, and other demonstrators protesting outside the Sudanese National Assembly. Police armed with batons and shields beat the demonstrators during the arrest. A week later, December 14, Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at 200 gathered near Sudan's parliament to demand democratic reforms before presidential and parliamentary polls. Reports say dozens were arrested.

IRD Religious Liberty Program Director Faith J.H. McDonnell commented:

"It is an outrage that heroic leaders such as Amum and Arman were beaten and arrested for protesting the NCP's stalling and deception.

"If the NCP violates the CPA, and uses repression and violence in such a blatant fashion with impunity, why would they allow free and fair elections in the future?

"The U.S. immediately must hold Khartoum accountable, as promised in the new Sudan policy. The history of Southern Sudan is marked not only by suffering and persecution, but by broken promises. The U.S. government has a chance to change that history, just by keeping a promise."

Jimmy Mulla, president of Voices for Sudan commented:

"This violation of the CPA is one of the NCP’s attempts to stop much-needed democratic transformation in Sudan, and prevent Sudan from entering a new era of peace and freedom.

"President Obama must impose consequences on Khartoum, a government that has slaughtered 2.5 million of its own civilians in South Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile, and as many as 400,000 in Darfur.

"In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, President Obama said that where there is genocide 'that while we will use engagement and diplomacy, there must be consequences when those things fail.' This must be the U.S. Sudan policy directive."