Sudanese Peacebuilders Act

PRESS RELEASE

Sudanese peacebuilders act to prevent “ another Darfur”

Against a background of growing international concern that South Kordofan which borders Darfur may be sliding into a similar conflict, members of the Sudanese movement, Collaborative for Peace in Sudan, have responded to a plea for help from two of the tribes in conflict, Miserya and Mnanadil

Local mediators funded by Peace Direct through the Collaborative, will provide training at the request of local tribal leaders, to enable both sides to resolve conflicts over land and resources without triggering violent conflict. This training builds on a long tradition of conflict prevention/resolution in Sudan, which has been used in conflicts between tribes and between pastoralists and sedentary communities.

‘This training fills a vital gap as tribal conflicts can be manipulated by political forces from both South and North, and can lead to all out war, as we have seen in Darfur.’ said Abdul Rahman Karroag from the Collaborative

Peace Direct’s Chief Executive, Carolyn Hayman OBE added , ‘We’ve been hearing about South Kordofan becoming the next Darfur for at least a year. It’s like watching a slow motion car crash. Yet very small amounts of funding for locally led initiatives, such as a Rapid Response capacity to respond to rising tensions, could significantly reduce risks.’

Ends

Contacts:

Carolyn Hayman, Chief Executive Peace Direct +44 (0) 7932 781981/Carolyn@peacedirect.org.

Jo Phillips Head of Communications +44 (0) 7710 245 039

jo@peacedirect.org

Contact: Abdul Rahman Karroag, Collaborative for Peace 00 249 122 960 208/ Karroag@gmail.com

Peace Direct is a UK based NGO which funds and promotes local peacebuilding in conflict areas. www.peacedirect.org.

Notes to Editors

The Collaborative for Peace in Sudan was founded in September 2006 when peacebuilding organisations from North, South and Central Sudan met in Khartoum, at the invitation of Peace Direct. Since then the Collaborative has launched and funded a number of locally led peacebuilding initiatives. These include the creation, with representatives of oil companies and communities affected by oil, of the Sudan Oil and Human Security Initiative (SOHSI), which encourages both sides to work together to resolve oil related conflicts and prevent a ‘Niger Delta’ situation developing in Sudan.