More on Crisis in Sudan

Some two million people have been uprooted--and many killed--as government-sponsored militia have pillaged and burned villages in the Darfur region of Sudan.  And, according to relief workers and human rights groups, thousands of women have been raped and some killed while searching for firewood outside Internally Displaced Persons camps where they have sought refuge. Photo: ACT/Caritas 2004

CWS Advocacy Positions in Relation to Sudan
Some Frequently Asked Questions

1. When did fighting in Darfur begin?

In January 2005 the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, marking the beginning of an end to the senseless loss of life and suffering of the people of Sudan after a 21-year North-South war. The violence in Darfur erupted toward the end of the negotiations and was not included in the agreement. Separate -- and currently inadequate -- efforts by the international community to end the Darfur violence are ongoing.

2. What is the nature of the violence?

When Darfurian rebel groups took up arms toward the end of the North-South peace negotiations, the Sudanese government employed Arab "Janjaweed" militias, air force bombings, and organized starvation, systematically killing the black Africans of Darfur and destroying their communities and culture. More than 2 million people have been driven from their homes. And more than 200,000 have been killed by ethnic violence or died from hunger and disease caused by the violence. The Sudanese government and the militias have often attempted to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching them. The Janjaweed have destroyed black Africans’ villages and crops, poisoned their water supplies, and systematically raped women and girls.

3. What does CWS urge the U.S. government to do about Darfur?

Informed by the views of its Sudanese partners, Church World Service calls on the U.S. government to take the following steps in Darfur:

• Work with the international community to bring about the compliance of the Sudanese government in implementing the United Nations plan for an expanded peace-keeping presence in Darfur, with an explicit mandate to protect civilians:
• Support a larger U.S. and international financial and technical contribution to significantly increase the number of peacekeepers deployed in Darfur and strengthen their capacity;
• Ensure adequate access for humanitarian agencies to deliver critically needed assistance, including food, to civilians displaced by the violence;
• Encourage more thorough and effective peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and all Darfurian rebel groups, and apply the lessons learned by the international community in achieving the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan to achieving a similar comprehensive peace agreement for Darfur.
• Condemn any forcible displacement or relocation of populations as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and other binding agreements and demand that these moves come to a complete halt.

4. What can the U.S. government do to help ensure the success of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan’s North-South war?

Church World Service calls on the U.S. government to take the following actions:

• Intensify efforts in the UN Security Council and other appropriate venues to engage with the government of Sudan, the leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), and all other Sudanese actors, to ensure implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
• Ensure the existence of effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, e.g. that the U.N. peacekeeping force present in Sudan is adequately resourced.
• Increase development assistance to southern Sudan’s five main regions to bolster their relative level of development.
• Promote a democratic political process with broad participation in public affairs and free and fair elections throughout Sudan.
• Apply the lessons learned by the international community in achieving the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan to achieving a similar comprehensive peace agreement for Darfur."
• Act more effectively to end the horrific violence in Darfur.

5. Who can people write to urge the U.S. government to do more to stop the violence in Darfur?

Contact President Bush, urging him to exercise every effort (a) to ensure the implementation of an expanded peace-keeping force in Darfur and (b) to encourage comprehensive peace negotiations among the warring parties. Send your letter by visiting Church World Service “Speak Out” web page, available at http://capwiz.com/churchworld.

More on Crisis in Sudan • Back to top