Operation Lifeline Sudan

As a result of the breakdown of various provisions of the 1972 Addis Ababa agreement that ended the First Sudanese Civil War breaking down, the Second Sudanese Civil War erupted between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A. This conflict, alongside massive famine and socioeconomic instability, led to over 2 million casualties. An additional 5 million people became internally-displaced individuals while over 500,000 more fled to neighboring countries as refugees. The increasing spillover from the conflict onto other countries in the form of refugees as well as increasing media coverage of the growing crisis led to a call for organizations like the UN to intervene and provide humanitarian assistance. One of the first tests of this neutral model came with the attempted concurrent distribution of aid to the SPLM/A held city of Yirol and the government held city of Wau. Amidst this rejection by both parties, international actors lost interest and viewed the operation as a publicity stunt that failed to consider sovereignty. Consequently, a 1989 conference dedicated to relief operations was held in Khartoum, leading to an agreement that Operation Lifeline Sudan would a UN "umbrella organization" that would grant both diplomatic legitimacy and operational capacity to humanitarian aid distributed to both sides of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Central to this agreement was the principle that "corridors of tranquility" would allow for the safe transportation and impartial distribution of essential food aid through either the air or through roads. This new humanitarian intervention, made with the agreement of both Sudan and rebel factions in the south, was noteworthy in its guarantee of passages through which humanitarian aid could be delivered in a neutral manner without being disrupted by armed combatants == Structure and Mandate ==

Operation Lifeline Sudan had three explicit provisions that it was mandated to focus on by its agreement: • The UN would be the primary negotiator with all relevant parties whose territory that it either transported or delivered humanitarian aid in. • All relevant parties would respect and not hinder the delivery or transportation of humanitarian aid to populations in crisis. Conversely, the Southern sector of Operation Lifeline Sudan was defined by its cooperation with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. Because the SPLM/A and its regional allies were non-state actors, OLS was not constrained by international norms surrounding sovereignty which dictated that interventions like it would usually operate in deference to the domestic government. This led to the Southern sector becoming more independent, allowing it to focus more on distributing humanitarian aid. The Southern sector of OLS was also able to use its provision as a negotiator to act as a conflict mediator. == Legacy ==

Operation Lifeline Sudan has been noted to have been highly successful in delivering humanitarian aid in a conflict region. This is especially significant given that it was the first instance of the UN negotiating with a non-state actor like the SPLM/A alongside a state actor like the Sudanese government to neutrally distribute aid. However, Operation Lifeline Sudan also experienced difficulty in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid when parties did not respect its mandate. This difficulty was made worse by the fluidity of the Second Sudanese Civil War, as the priorities of both the government and southern rebel factions shifted with the development of the conflict, creating an environment where OLS was vulnerable to the interests of the parties that it was negotiating with. Additionally, many have suggested that Operation Lifeline Sudan prolonged the conflict by legitimizing the SPLM/A and other rebel factions through both negotiating with them and through providing them with aid. This is driven by the concern that aid may be channeled into supporting the military. ==Notes==