Humanitarian Access and Flight Bans
In 1989, the Government of Sudan (GoS), the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLA), and the United Nations signed a tripartite agreement allowing unfettered access to areas of southern Sudan. This agreement created Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), the mechanism that has delivered this needed assistance until today.
Within months, the National Islamic Front engaged in a coup and displaced the democratically elected government. Despite the OLS Agreement, humanitarian flights bans were imposed, which have severely limited humanitarian access up until this year.
Flights bans, often imposed in conflict areas, coupled with the movement of the internally displaced, have created suffering and hardship for the people of southern Sudan. In 1999, the government of Sudan continued signed Agreement on the Implementation of Principles Governing the Protection and Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to War Affected Civilian Populations to protect civilians and allow unimpeded access, but flight bans continued. In October 2002, in the context of the Intergovernmental (IGAD), and with added pressure from the international community, the parties have signed an agreement that has at last made an impact. The agreement extends through March 2003.
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