Posts by Sudan Correspondent

From the field Calming local conflicts in Darfur

All societies develop mechanisms for mediating conflicts. It is vitally important to look for local capacities for managing conflicts, even in places such as Darfur, which have become known globally for the violence there. The following three stories are examples of conflicts in Darfur that had the potential to escalate, but were successfully mediated using such local mechanisms. Read more >>>

From the field Awoodah: An Encouraging Case of Coexistence and Brotherhood

The Awoodah neighborhood in the town of Medani, some 200 km south of the capital Khartoum, demonstrates many examples of southern and northern families living peacefully side by side in the quarter of the town they came to live in some 30 years ago. George, a small southern child, innocently expressed to me his love for the place and that he would never ever leave it even if South Sudan is declared an independent state. Read more >>>

From the field Darfur: The Story of a Mediator

In 2008, a conflict erupted between pastoralists and farmers in the district of Rabbah Nairah (west of Shangil Toobai and south of Tabat). Ten camels entered into a farm, and three of them were killed by the farm owner. This led to armed skirmishes between the pastoralists and farmers that almost triggered a war. Abdullah Mohamd Jumaah, an elderly mediator with experience and wisdom, approached the two parties in an attempt to reach a solution acceptable to all. Read more >>>

From the field Tribes in Sudan unite against conflict

As Halima emerges from the dusty truck she catches sight of her aunt among the crowd of singing women gathered to welcome them. Halima’s daughter was just a baby last time her great aunt saw her, and her son not yet born. Halima must break the news that her husband, a soldier in the Sudanese army, is dead, but with this news she swears she will not let confict take her children too. Read more >>>

From the field Sudan’s April Elections

National elections in Sudan are due to be held in April. Although despite being a key part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), elections have been delayed three times already, and the April date is by no means guaranteed. Many believe that the US is pressing the parties of the CPA to postpone the election, arguing that there is danger that they won’t be seen as credible. Read more >>>

From the field CfPS: Building Peace Across Sudan

The work of the Collaborative for Peace in Sudan (CfPS) involves local groups working for peace across the country, our local correspondent for Sudan, shares stories of their success. Read more >>>

From the field ‘Women for Peace’ Initiative in Bow, Sudan

Like other towns in the Blue Nile, Bow suffered a great deal during the Civil War in Sudan. The effects of the conflict can still be felt in the town, where the local population share the very limited provision of services with a large number of formerly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The town has in fact almost been forgotten by outsiders, and when I visited for the Collaborative for Peace in Sudan, I was told that it the first visit that the community had received from a local NGO wanting to implement a project. Almost the entire burden of suffering in Bow is exacted upon the women of the community, who contribute heavily to livelihoods of residents and also take responsibility for ensuring their children receive an education. Despite their dynamic role in the economy, many of the women in Bow find themselves marginalised for cultural reasons. Most inhabitants of the town are from the tribes of Ingasanah, Fallatah and Ambararu. Read more >>>

From the field The Native Administration and Peace Committees in Kurmuk

Kurmuk is one of the largest towns in the Blue Nile State of Sudan, and has greatly suffered from the Civil War. Control over the area changed hands many times in the course of the war, finally ending up in the hands of the rebel army of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM). After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the area was deemed a ‘liberated area’ and was almost inaccessible for all excluding relief agencies. The town still suffers from the effects of the war as returnees join those who stayed during the fighting. Resources are meagre for all. Read more >>>

From the field Native Administrations and Conflict Resolution

Locally based systems of administration can play an important role in the mediation of conflicts. In this interview, our local coresspondent for Sudan talks with Mak Al Fatih Yousif about his work for tribes in the Blue Nile State in Sudan, a region much affected by fighting between the government and SPLM. Read more >>>