Download a PDF version of this information.
One of the keys to a sustainable peace in Sudan is in the ability of people to resist and transform conflicts when they arise. In February 2010, students attending the Yambio Youth Conference were able to put such skills to work when fighting broke out between a local ethnic group and the army just days before their conference was to start. Using skills developed with the help of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) peacebuilding training, the students determined the source of the conflict and asked their elders and local government to engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve the problems.
As Sudan prepares for southern secession, CRS is helping local partners build skills in conflict resolution and peacebuilding by:
- Partnering closely with Catholic dioceses and other groups to increase their ability to effectively carry out relief and development projects, conflict management initiatives and peacebuilding activities.
- Coordinating peace talks at various levels, from individual communities to national ecumenical forums.
- Funding community-based peace projects, particularly those that create opportunities for youth to engage in peacebuilding and conflict resolution activities.
- Link Sudanese and U.S. advocacy efforts through the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative to increase Catholics in the United States’ awareness of Sudanese issues and engagement in addressing them.
CRS has been working in Sudan since the end of the first major civil war in 1972 and is one of the largest nongovernmental humanitarian agencies working in the country, serving more than 1 million people. CRS continues to implement extensive relief and development activities across Sudan, which has recently emerged from 45 years of intermittent civil war between the northern government and southern rebels.
In West Darfur, CRS has been providing humanitarian aid since May 2004. The program now assists more than 500,000 people affected by the violent conflict there. Activities include food distributions, shelter construction, provision of clean water and sanitation, education support, agricultural and livestock assistance, and health and nutrition training.
In the Khartoum area, CRS assists more than 30,000 people in need. The majority of activities are in the Jebel Awlia, Um Dorman, Al Salam and Mayo camps, populated primarily by people displaced by the civil war and more recently by people displaced by the Darfur conflict. Initiatives include shelter assistance, construction and rehabilitation of schools, creation of savings and lending groups, livelihoods development programs, support for a health clinic, water and sanitation initiatives, and emergency preparedness.
In Southern Sudan, CRS is helping more than 500,000 people to rebuild their lives after civil war. Activities include school and market construction, technical agricultural support, food distributions for the most vulnerable, support for 43 health facilities, creation of savings and lending groups, water and sanitation projects, and civic education initiatives. CRS also helps to strengthen local governments and partners, including Catholic dioceses, through close collaboration and skills training.
