Text adopted on 9.4.92

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to its resolution of 13 February 1992 on the precarious situation in the Horn of Africa and the civil war in Somalia and the resolutions of the ACP-EEC Joint Assembly in Santo Domingo (17-21 February 1992) on debt and poverty,

B. noting that the food situation in both the Horn of Africa and the whole of Southern Africa has further worsened,

C. whereas, as a consequence of both natural and man-made causes, the drought affecting Africa has worsened the famine and the threat of famine in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa; whereas the Commission has estimated that at least 60 million people are threatened with famine in Africa and needs are estimated at 6.5 million tonnes of cereals, including 1.6 million tonnes of cereal products for the Horn of Africa and twice that for Southern Africa,

D. shocked by reports that hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan have been removed on an involuntary basis at short notice, using military force; noting that most of the displaced people in the camps are from southern Sudan, where the majority of the population are animists or Christians,

E. aware of reports that the authorities are attempting to channel available international humanitarian aid only through NGOs/institutions of their own liking, thus severely limiting the effectiveness of this aid,

F. protesting against the replacement of experienced doctors and administrators, both from international agencies and Sudanese, including some of the Islamic faith, by people of lower professional qualifications purely because they are religious fundamentalists,

G. recalling that the European Community has suspended its aid programmes to Sudan under the Lomé IV Convention, except for humanitarian aid, on the grounds of alleged human rights violations,

H. regretting the Council's decision to refer the Commission proposal to COREPER I and await its meeting on 5 May 1992 before adopting a position,

1. Supports the Commission proposal to launch a special food aid programme of 800 000 tonnes of cereals in addition to the 1.4 million tonnes of cereals of food aid already scheduled for the current year;

2. Notes that this food and humanitarian aid will cover only a third of requirements and appeals to the governments of the Member States and the international community to respond to this drastic situation and succour and rescue millions of human lives, closely linking action by the international community with the efforts of the States concerned;

3. Draws the attention of the donor community to the need to take full account of the fact that the infrastructure restrictions in some regions will lead to increased transport costs;

4. Reminds the Commission and the Member States of the principle of giving preference wherever possible to triangular aid;

5. Calls on the EC and the Member States to take the lead in demanding that the Sudanese Government halt its policy of forced relocation of displaced persons;

6. Calls on the Sudanese Government to respect the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the OAU's African Charter on Human and People's Rights and Article 5 of the Lomé Convention;

7. Calls on the Sudanese Government to facilitate the work of the humanitarian organizations, which have a duty to help people in need without distinction as to race, religion or politics;

8. Calls on the Commission to provide emergency food aid to Sudanese people in need and to ensure that this aid is distributed by NGOs working freely in Sudan;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, European Political Cooperation, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EEC Joint Assembly, the Secretaries-General of the UN, UNICEF, the OAU, the Arab League, and the Sudanese Government.