USAID/OTI Sudan Hot Topics December 2005
Youths Discuss Post-War Challenges in Blue Nile
The overarching goal of the USAID/OTI Sudan program is to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political marginalization, violence, and instability within the context of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan.
The OTI/Sudan program focuses on promoting the emergence of responsive and effective civil authorities; providing opportunities for peaceful dialogue within and among communities; fostering the emergence of an active civil society; increasing the availability of quality, independent information; and protecting vulnerable populations from grave human rights violations and related abuses.
 |
| Young Sudanese meet to talk over the problems facing their country. |
The Kurmuk New Sudan Youth Association brought together 215 youths in the southern Blue Nile Sudanese town of Kurmuk to participate in a conference addressing the issues and challenges they face in post-war Sudan. Most of the participants had returned to Kurmuk from the north or from refugee camps in Ethiopia for the first time since intense fighting forced them to flee.
During Sudan's civil war, Kurmuk was a hotly contested area that changed hands between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after a series of battles. The area was strategically important to both the SPLA and the government because of its proximity to a hydroelectric facility to the north in Damazin and the Khor Adar oilfields to the west. As a result, the impact of the civil war was deeply felt by the population of Kurmuk. The war claimed thousands of lives, destroyed the town's infrastructure, and caused many to leave their homes.
During the conference, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives, participants shared recollections of the frightening circumstances under which they and their families were forced to flee Kurmuk. They spoke about the horrors of war and the important role of young people in promoting continued peace in Sudan. Limited access to basic services, such as education, health care and adequate housing, and the need for information pertaining to HIV/AIDS and the dangers posed by land mines, were identified as the principal challenges to their futures. Participants expressed an interest in organizing future conferences to ensure that youths actively participate in promoting peace and development in Blue Nile.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: Michele Amatangelo, Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-4275, mamatangelo@usaid.gov
|
