Sudan
Multiple long-standing conflicts in Sudan—between the North and the South, in the East, and in the Darfur region—have gripped the country and its neighbors, killing millions of people, displacing many millions more and preventing long-term development of large areas of the country and the region.
Learn More About...
- CRS' work in Sudan.
- Building Peace and Fighting Poverty in Sudan
- Sudan: Tipping the Balance toward Lasting Peace
- The Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative and how it is promoting peace.
- Peace, conflict and our Catholic response by watching this brief video.
- CRS' priority policy issues for 2009-2010.
- Who your elected officials are and how to contact them.
Take Action
- Pray for the People of Sudan. Organize a prayer service at your church with this guide.
- Raise Your Voice. Visit the CRS Action Center for our latest action alerts.
- Be One in a Million. Join the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative by CRS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and be part of this national movement.
- Join Our Webcasts. These monthly interactive sessions with our staff and partners are where you can learn about our priority issues, ask questions and find out how you can be part of the solution to global problems. Sign up for information about our next webcast.
- Give to CRS. Our work around the globe would not be possible without the generosity of our many supporters in the United States.
Despite a peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and Southern rebels in 2005—known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)—peace remains fragile. Critical provisions of the agreement are still to be implemented, including general elections in 2010 and a referendum on Southern secession in 2011.
Meanwhile, suffering and violence in Darfur continue. Neighboring Chad, despite its own internal conflict, has taken in hundreds of thousands of Darfuri refugees.
CRS Policy Position
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) believes that there are three key elements to resolving the conflict in Sudan and we call on the U.S. government and international actors to pursue the following:
Stop the Violence
- Encourage the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Major General J. Scott Gration, and the African Union Joint Chief Mediator, Djibril Bassolé, to promote and sustain pressure on the many parties to the conflicts in the region to respect international humanitarian law and to achieve and uphold a cessation of hostilities.
- Fully deploy the international peacekeeping forces for Sudan (UNAMID and UNAMIS), ensuring these forces are adequately equipped, logistically supported and free from any bureaucratic impediments to their work.
Provide the Aid
- Work with donor nations to ensure that political and diplomatic progress is met with adequate funding for reconstruction (return, reintegration and economic development) as well as initiatives supporting transitional justice and ongoing conflict resolution. In Darfur, in particular, funding is urgently needed to support Food for Peace (FFP), the World Food Program (WFP) and United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operations.
- Ensure that humanitarian agencies have adequate security and logistical capacity to access all those who require assistance throughout the area.
Resolve the Conflict
- Pursue a comprehensive strategy for the Horn of Africa and 'greater Sudan' (including Chad and northern Uganda) that recognizes and addresses the regional influences in the conflicts beyond country-specific approaches.
- Establish an integrated, long-term political solution for the multiple crises in Sudan—between North and South, the transitional zones, Darfur, and Eastern Sudan—that include the relevant actors, including those in Uganda and Chad.
- Ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement through reinvigorated monitoring and accountability efforts, including key provisions regarding border demarcation; improved transparency over oil revenues, income and distribution; the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of allied militias; restrictions on military buildup and movement; and guarantees of a free and fair election and referendum process.
