Supporting the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement

Sudan Inter-Religious Council

Concordis International is supporting the Sudan Inter-Religious Council (SIRC) to facilitate regional workshops and a national conference to assist existing inter-religious committees and other community leaders engage with policy issues pertaining to implementation of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement.

There remains an urgent need to build a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in East Sudan that works for all the peoples of the region. Conflict triggers persist and humanitarian conditions are some of the worst in the country. This project builds on previous work conducted by Concordis and SIRC in East Sudan.

Many of the most salient issues in Eastern Sudan are not distinctly religious, however, religious leaders and institutions – together with other civil society actors - can play a unique and powerful role in promoting implementation of the ESPA and improving conditions.

The project has three main objectives: 1) To facilitate dialogue on existing, and potentially conflicting, visions and understandings of the ESPA and assess the implementation process; 2) to build relationships between community leaders  and government to work together towards implementation of the ESPA at local and national level; and 3) to strengthen existing networks among religious and community leaders.  The national conference in Khartoum will draw together the experiences of the regional workshops and open up national level dialogue on strategic issues.