Sudan - Joint Press Release by UNICEF/WFP/OCHA: OLS replies to NGO Report

We, the Executive Directors of UNICEF and the World Food Programme, together with the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, wish to express our disappointment over inaccurate and unbalanced criticisms by Médecins sans frontières-France (Doctors Without Borders) of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) and its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan.
Against a backdrop of a 15-year civil war, Operation Lifeline Sudan has been working to save millions of lives by providing emergency food, medicine, and access to clean water. In a report released last week by MSF, OLS is accused of responding slowly to last year's famine and has been criticised for instances of food diversion.

The issues raised are not new, and have been addressed over the past year by OLS, a consortium of UN and 40 non-governmental organizations.

In 1998, OLS members worked together to turn around the famine and reduce malnutrition rates from a high of 45-50 per cent down to 10-15 per cent in the most affected areas. While many lives were lost because of war and resulting famine, it is important to recognise that hundreds of thousands of lives were saved thanks to the emergency relief programmes of OLS and the generous support of the international community.

No one should ignore, that the responsibility for the war and famine in south Sudan lies squarely with the warring parties. While we recognize that humanitarian aid is not an adequate replacement for diplomacy, we believe that our foremost responsibility is to save lives. OLS currently supplies emergency aid to over 2.6 million of the most vulnerable. MSF's recent statements indicate that they believe OLS should cease functioning until a perfect system for access and distribution in Sudan is guaranteed. This is unrealistic. The result may be better consciences for some, but for the people of southern Sudan, the inevitable result would be further loss of life.

Increasingly, humanitarian aid is needed most in countries torn by civil and political conflict. Issuing public statements of principle and halting aid to victims of conflict may seem sensible. But most of us do not have that luxury. We have no choice but to save lives wherever we can.

The overriding imperative is to continue with the difficult but necessary humanitarian task, to negotiate with those who cause war on behalf of those who suffer from it - and, finally, to do our best to save innocent lives.

Geneva, Nairobi, New York, 3 March 1999

Carol Bellamy
Executive Director, UNICEF

Catherine Bertini
Executive Director, World Food Programme

Sergio Vieira de Mello
Emergency Relief Coordinator
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

For further informatoin, please contact:

Marie Heuzé, UNICEF Geneva, tel. 00 41 (22) 909 55 23
Patrick McCormick, UNICEF Geneva, tel. 00 41 (22) 909 55 09
Christiane Berthiaume, WFP Geneva, tel. 00 41 (22) 979 95 64
Gillian Wilcox, OLS Nairobi, tel. 00 254 (2) 622 403