WHAT IS GOING ON?...
MILLIONS OF OUR PEOPLE IN SUDAN ARE BEING BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERED..TERRORIZED AND DISPLACED ONCE AGAIN..AND THIS IS HARDLY WORTHY FOR THE NEWS...BEING MURDERED BY THE ARABS?....WHAT IS GOING ON?...http://www.sudan.net/news/press/postedr/282.shtmlDEVELOPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE SUDAN PEACE WORK
25 May 2004 11:42:00 GMT
Brendan Paddy
Save the Children - UK
Save the Children welcomes the planned signing of the framework peace agreement between the Sudanese Government and Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on Wednesday morning (1100 BST/ 1300 Local Time 26 May Naivasha, Kenya).
The agreement is a critical first step towards ending the war between the government and southern Sudanese fighters that has killed two million people and driven five million more from their homes. However, both the Government and the SPLM/A must follow through on their commitment in the agreement to greater regional development if the peace is to be sustained. The agreement does not cover the current conflict in Darfur.
Save the Children East and Central Africa Regional Director Peter Hawkins said:
"Conflicts in Sudan are normally described in terms of race and religion. In reality, they are a product of the economic and political marginalisation of many parts of the country."
"We congratulate both sides for reaching agreement with the support of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the governments of the US, UK and Norway. As the dead-hand of war is lifted there is finally the potential for the children and families of Sudan to realise their desire for a better life."
"However, ending the war without ending its root causes would be a recipe for disaster. Any sustainable peace must be based on a political solution that engages and benefits all of the children and families of Sudan."
Ninety-two percent of Sudan's population live in poverty and the vast majority lack access to basic services like healthcare and education, with children and families in South Sudan and Darfur amongst the poorest.
The government will need time post-conflict to develop the revenue streams necessary to establish sustainable basic services. In the interim, the international community must follow-through on its commitment to provide the financial wherewithal to kick-start regional development within Sudan. Most internationally brokered peace agreements fail because of the loss of international political interest and financial commitment after an agreement is signed.
Notes to Editors:
Briefings or interviews are available from Save the Children staff in London, Nairobi and the Sudanese border area in Chad.
Save the Children has been one of the leading aid agencies working in Sudan for more than 30 years. To date operations in Darfur have been difficult because of access restrictions and security problems but these now appear to be easing. Save the Children will now seek to provide health care, water and food to 200,000 displaced people in Northern and Southern Darfur.
Save the Children is the UK's leading international children's charity working in the UK and over 70 countries overseas to make a reality of every child's right to a healthy, happy and secure childhood.
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