MoU on Humanitarian Aid .. A Step Forward

According to news articles a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Sunday as a completing step to implement the tripartite initiative of the AU, Arab League and the UN to deliver assistance to the rebel held areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan States.
After the signing ceremony HAC Commissioner, Suleiman Abdul Rahman Marhab affirmed the government commitment allow for delivering the  humanitarian aid to people affected by war ignited by rebellion in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan State.
Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) Haile Menkerios described the signature of the MoU as a positive step calling for immediate ceasefire in those areas to allow for delivering the humanitarian aid.
However, the process of delivering the humanitarian assistance is limited by only 90 days to be renewable by the government.
We believe that delivering the humanitarian assistance to the rebel held areas required at least partial ceasefire to coincide with the distribution process to avoid the previous negative practices during the operation of humanitarian paths in Darfur and lifeline process.
The signature of the MoU, whatever reservations over it, represents a considerable breakthrough in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan issues.
The MoU confirms the government ethical obligation to deliver humanitarian assistance to any citizen within Sudan's territories even if they stay in rebel held areas.
As a matter of fact there is no need for humanitarian assistance in the government controlled areas as testified by the international community, so the concentration will be on the rebel held areas as the mediators recognized.
It is high time for the tripartite initiative of the AU, Arab League and the UN besides the local administration to play its important role in the distribution process to guarantee that the assistance goes to the civilians under the supervision of the civil society.
We propose involving the FAO, UNICEF, and the WHO in the distribution process to guarantee the fairness of the operation.
The Sudanese delegation in the humanitarian course in Addis Ababa talks managed to make a considerable breakthrough in this file with practical steps.
Let us hope that settlement on other outstanding issues be reached and translated into the ground like the humanitarian issue.