Dear president Obama,

We are writing to express our alarm and concern over the ongoing bombardment in Sudan, rape of women, recruitment of children into militias, loss of civilian life, and destruction of property and livelihood in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur.

Since April 2012, the Sudanese government has dropped 3,000 bombs in the area, undermining serious attempts for national reconciliation and threatening the unity of Sudan. The government is continuously committing major atrocities in avoidable wars, including raping women, affecting over six million people in these areas. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 2.6 million people either are refugees or internally displaced because of the ongoing violence. The government has primary responsibility for the wellbeing of its citizens and any violence conducted by rebel/opposition forces are in no way comparable in scale or design.

We ask that Washington put pressure on the government of Sudan to:

1. Stop the indiscriminate aerial bombardment in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and the Darfur Regions.

2. Protect civilians and uphold respect for international human rights and humanitarian law, in particular, the principles of proportionality and distinction between military and civilian targets. Remove all restrictions on humanitarian access and allow immediate delivery of humanitarian relief to the people trapped by war in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur.

3. Allow an international independent investigation into the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the systematic bombing of civilians and rape as a weapon of war in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur. These crimes cannot be tolerated.

4. Put an immediate end to the recruitment of children and others along tribal lines for induction in militias and paramilitary forces, such as the Rapid Support Forces.

For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.sbcsudan.com

Please play a role in ending the ongoing war in these areas of Africa and saving innocent lives from bombardment, displacement, and atrocities.

Thank you,