UK must not fail the people of South Sudan

On the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict in South Sudan, we are writing to urge Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, to redouble his efforts to bring about peace. In the grim competition for the world’s most devastating crisis, South Sudan is up there with the worst. It’s estimated that almost 400,000 people have died over the last five years, that over 4 million South Sudanese have fled their homes and that half of the country’s population are facing severe hunger. An adolescent girl in South Sudan today is three times more likely to die in childbirth than to complete primary school.

Five years on, all parties to the conflict have signed a peace agreement. However, South Sudan’s short history tells us that peace is a process, not a moment, and that elite-level power-sharing deals easily fail. The South Sudanese people themselves are the only guarantors of peace in their country. The UK government’s focus must therefore be on promoting the local-level peacebuilding initiatives that address the root causes of the conflict. That means working closely with the churches, traditional leaders, women’s and youth groups, and refugee communities, to empower them to influence the implementation of this agreement. It also means pressing the transitional government to guarantee unhindered humanitarian access so NGOs can reach the 7.6 million South Sudanese who urgently need support to rebuild their lives.

As parliamentarians, we pledge to work with the UK government, and the South Sudanese people, to help bring an end to this conflict.
Henry Bellingham MP Chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
David Drew MP Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
Nic Dakin MP Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
Patrick Grady MP Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
David Chidgey Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
David Alton Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
Caroline Cox Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
Nick Baines Bishop of Leeds and vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
John Montagu Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan
Preet Gill MP Shadow international development minister
Joyce Anelay
Stephen Twigg MP
Liz McInnes MP Shadow foreign minister
Ray Collins Shadow foreign minister
Caroline Lucas MP Leader, Green party
Christine Jardine MP Acting foreign affairs spokesperson, Liberal Democrats
Shas Sheehan International development spokesperson, Liberal Democrats
Ann Clwyd MP Chair, All-party parliamentary human rights group
Caroline Spelman MP
Jim Shannon MP
Fiona Bruce MP
Mary Goudie
Frank Judd
Richard Harries
Donald Curry
David Steel
James Graham

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