Christian Advocacy Now

May Action Item

Contact President Obama to urge him to utilize more effective sanctions in dealing with the atrocities perpetrated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Use the following letter created by Enough: the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity to aid you in writing to the president.

Dear President Obama,

While media attention has dissipated over the years, the unconscionable situation for civilians in Sudan has not gone away. As a concerned citizen, I urge you to modernize the sanctions in place on Sudan to create greater leverage and employ new tools to support a sustainable peace.

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir continues to wage conflict against his own people throughout many parts of the country, committing severe human rights abuses, targeting civilians with aerial bombardments, and blocking humanitarian assistance. Past policy approaches have failed to counter the regime’s ability to finance conflict or to enrich itself at the expense of the Sudanese people. As long as Bashir and his inner circle of political and military elites are able to benefit from conflict and silence opposition, the regime has no incentive to pursue peace. To create the pressure necessary to change calculations in Sudan’s government, the U.S. and its allies must employ a much broader strategy of financial pressure to target those individuals and entities that profit from this untenable status quo.

This April, in honor of Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, please begin taking action within your Administration to counter the financing of atrocities in Sudan. Atrocity crimes should not pay.

Please work with Secretary of Treasury Lew, Secretary of State Kerry, and other key policymakers to modernize the current sanctions regime. A range of measures should be taken to enhance their effectiveness, including targeting conflict-affected gold and specific companies owned by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). In addition, steps must be taken to mitigate the negative impacts of sanctions on humanitarian, medical, agricultural, academic, and people-to-people activities. A modernized sanctions regime will help alleviate negative effects on the Sudanese people, while ratcheting up pressure on those responsible for the ongoing conflicts and human rights abuses throughout Sudan.

Thank you for your continued attention to the urgent issue of Sudan.

Sincerely,