Sudan Activities

Our Activities in South Sudan

JCCP strives to help the children and youth of war-torn Sudan. As victims of conflict, the number of war orphans, underage mothers, child soldiers, repatriates and child refugees continues to soar, and the conditions surrounding them continue to worsen. Out of poverty, these children are unable to go to school, and turn to refuse collection, car washing, shoe-polishing and working in food outlets in order to survive, or inevitably end up on the streets.

JCCP's activities aim to help those aged 12-25 years old restore their autonomy, provide them with improved health education, prevent violence and crime and increase awareness of sexual abuse. In addition to this, employment training is provided to those over 15 years old in order to help them earn a living. Training focuses on skills for the highly employable tourist sector of Sudan, such as the hotel industry, restaurants and other services.

In 2010, JCCP established an office in Juba, the regional capital of Southern Sudan, in order to implement its aid projects to their highest potential.
Please help to support us in providing a better and brighter future for the youth of Sudan.

Conflict Background

Sudan, Africa’s largest country with a population of 42.2 million people, currently hosts two major ongoing conflicts: firstly between the North and the South, and secondly the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Hostility between the North and South has arisen as a result of attempts by the northern Muslim population to introduce Islamic (Shari’a) law among the Christian population of the South, and this conflict was the foundation for Sudan’s two civil wars, taking place from 1955-1972 and 1983-2005. Further dispute has emerged as a result of conflicting interests surrounding oil reserves found in southern Sudan.

The Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which stipulated Southern political independence for six years with a referendum to vote on permanent independence in 2011, as well as the equal sharing of oil revenues between the North and South. However, despite the signing of this agreement, conflict continues to tear the country apart, resulting in more than 4 million refugees. Furthermore, an additional 2.5 million refugees displaced during Sudan’s periods of civil war have returned to the country since 2005, and this number is expected to continue to rise as time goes on, furthering the need for aid in the region.

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) was established in March 2005 in order to assist the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to provide humanitarian aid and protect human rights. There are enormous aid demands in southern Sudan which include but are not limited to: transportation assistance for refugee repatriation, treatment of HIV/AIDS, maintenance of infrastructure, emergency humanitarian aid and mid-term strategy for the improvement of citizens' livelihood.

The necessity for this aid is greater now more than ever; in the same year, the Ugandan militant group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) crossed borders into Sudan and since then has committed an ongoing series of violent attacks on Sudanese citizens. These attacks have escalated heavily since 2009 as a response to increased military pressure against the LRA from the Ugandan government. Additionally, intertribal clashes and ethnic conflicts, often linked to resource disputes, continue to occur throughout Southern Sudan. Although cattle raids and the forceful acquisition of grazing lands exist as the principal motives for these conflicts, the proportion of attacks on civilian settlements has increased dramatically in recent years.

April 2010 saw Sudan’s first multi-party presidential election in 24 years, with President Omar al-Bashir retaining his 20+ year term of leadership with 68% of the vote after many opponents withdrew from the race in protest. One of these groups was the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the country’s main opposition party and proponents for southern independence which itself garnered 93% of the vote in Southern Sudan. However, in both the northern and southern elections, claims of fraud and voter intimidation have been brought forward by regional observer organizations and local politicians, as well as the election being described as “not up to international standards” by foreign observers from the EU and Carter Centre. Resistance to the election results has culminated in further episodes of violence from opposing politicians and their constituencies. In January 2011, in a special referendum, the Sudanese will vote for the permanent independence of Southern Sudan. However, the SPLM has vowed to maintain independence and political control of the region by any means necessary if the deadline is not strictly adhered to.

In addition to the political dispute between the northern and southern regions of the country, military conflict in the western region of Darfur between Arab and non-Arab ethnic groups has deteriorated since 2003 into what is now widely known as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” The Janjaweed militia, supported by the Sudanese government, is thought to be responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 civilians and more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced people.

To attempt to put an end to the ongoing conflicts, the Sudanese government has worked towards peace agreements with major rebel organizations in the region over the past half-decade, including May 2006’s Darfur Peace Agreement with the SPLM, the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement with the Eastern Front on June 19, 2006, and a cease-fire between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on February 23, 2010. Despite these efforts, numerous military groups refuse to comply with the agreements and violence remains widespread in the region.

FAQ

1.What is the background of the conflict in Sudan?

Sudan currently hosts two major ongoing conflicts: firstly between the North and the South, and secondly the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Hostility between the North and South has arisen as a result of attempts by the northern Muslim population to introduce Islamic (Shari’a) law among the Christian population of the South, and this conflict was the foundation for Sudan’s two civil wars, taking place from 1955-1972 and 1983-2005. Further dispute has emerged as a result of conflicting interests surrounding oil reserves found in southern Sudan.
In addition to the political dispute between the northern and southern regions of the country, military conflict in the western region of Darfur between Arab and non-Arab ethnic groups has deteriorated since 2003 into what is now widely known as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” The Janjaweed militia, supported by the Sudanese government, is thought to be responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 civilians and more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced people.


2.Why is there fighting between the north and the south in Sudan?

Hostility between the North and South has arisen as a result of attempts by the northern Muslim population to introduce Islamic (Shari’a) law among the Christian population of the South, and this conflict was the foundation for Sudan’s two civil wars, taking place from 1955-1972 and 1983-2005. Further dispute has emerged as a result of conflicting interests surrounding oil reserves found in southern Sudan as well as over other resources such as cattle and grazing land. The Southern population claims that, in addition to the forced imposition of the Shari’a judicial system, the Sudanese government has systematically favoured the country’s Islamic population through its enacted policy and development of social and economic infrastructure. This sentiment was the basis for the foundation of the militant groups that fought against the federal government in Sudan’s two civil wars, and it continues to be felt by millions of Southern Sudanese to this day.


3.Why is there a conflict in Darfur?

The conflict in Darfur exists for many of the same reasons as the conflict between Northern and Southern Sudan; the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the two groups responsible for the initial assaults on government military installations in 2003, stated that the reasons behind their attacks stemmed from frustrations regarding the government’s lack of willingness to protect villages in the region from attacks by nomadic groups, as well as economic marginalization of the area compared to the areas of largely Arab populations outside of Darfur. These groups were formed based on generations of tension in the region between not only Christians and Muslims, but also between nomadic and sedentary populations, black Africans and Arabs, and ethnic tensions between various tribes and ethnic groups in the area. Instead of attempting negotiations or using other nonviolent conflict resolution techniques, the Sudanese government responded with force, through their own military but more controversially through the support of violent pro-government militias like the Janjaweed (who are notorious for their Arab supremacist ideologies and tactics such as rape, forced displacement, and massacring of unarmed civilians) as their principle counter-insurgency force.


4.What are the current situations of these two conflicts?

The Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which stipulated Southern political independence for six years with a referendum to vote on permanent independence in January 2011, as well as the equal sharing of oil revenues between the North and South. However, despite the signing of this agreement and resulting semi-autonomy of Southern Sudan, conflict continues to tear the country apart, resulting in more than 4 million refugees. Furthermore, an additional 2.5 million refugees displaced during Sudan’s periods of civil war have returned to the country since 2005, and this number is expected to continue to rise as time goes on.
Additionally, intertribal clashes and ethnic conflicts, often linked to resource disputes, continue to occur throughout Southern Sudan. Although cattle raids and the forceful acquisition of grazing lands exist as the principal motives for these conflicts, the proportion of attacks on civilian settlements has increased dramatically in recent years.
In January 2011, in a special referendum, the Sudanese will vote for the permanent independence of Southern Sudan. However, the SPLM has vowed to maintain independence and political control of the region by any means necessary if the deadline is not strictly adhered to.

To attempt to put an end to the ongoing conflicts in Darfur, the Sudanese government has worked towards peace agreements with major rebel organizations in the region over the past half-decade, including May 2006’s Darfur Peace Agreement with the SPLM, the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement with the Eastern Front on June 19, 2006, and a cease-fire between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on February 23, 2010. Despite these efforts, numerous military groups refuse to comply with the agreements and violence remains widespread in Darfur; a July 2010 report from the United Nations stated that security in the region has deteriorated in 2010 as the incidence of violence in the region has increased.


5.What will happen if Southern Sudan becomes independent?

There are a number of possibilities regarding the outcome of the January 2011 referendum for the independence of Southern Sudan. Many analysts consider this event to be a test and milestone for both the government of al-Bashir and that of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SLPM), the largest opposition group who currently governs the southern region of Sudan, as well as for the citizens of Sudan themselves; never before has the nation seen such a dramatic change in its political, economic, and social infrastructure, and after the questionable legitimacy of the 2010 presidential election, which included numerous charges of fraud, vote-rigging, and intimidation, many wonder if the referendum can be successfully carried out in a fair and legitimate manner.
Although part of the 2005 peace agreement stipulated a six-year term of semi-autonomy for Southern Sudan (it has its own government but is not recognized as a separate entity from Sudan), it still operates using the political and economic systems established by the Sudanese government. If independence was granted, the Southern Sudanese government would face an entirely new set of challenges as it entered a phase of nation-building, including: drafting a constitution, creating a political system, developing social infrastructure, handling international relations and negotiations, and setting an economic course for the new nation. In addition to this, it is unknown how relations between Northern and Southern Sudan will develop and if the two countries will be able to coexist peacefully, especially considering that the majority of the country’s oil reserves lie in the South.
If the referendum is delayed or independence is not granted, either through a legitimate vote or by a government mandate, the SLPM has vowed to rule their territory as an autonomous state, regardless of whether or not al-Bashir’s government approves. If this happens, Sudan could once again be plunged into another civil war between the North and the South, and therefore Sudan would see a dramatic escalation of conflict and violence in the region.


6.What are JCCP’s activities in Sudan?

JCCP strives to help the children and youth of war-torn Sudan. As victims of conflict, the number of war orphans, underage mothers, child soldiers, repatriates and child refugees continues to soar, and the conditions surrounding them continue to worsen. Out of poverty, these children are unable to go to school, and turn to refuse collection, car washing, shoe-polishing and working in food outlets in order to survive, or inevitably end up on the streets.
JCCP's activities aim to help those aged 12-25 years old restore their autonomy, provide them with improved health education, prevent violence and crime and increase awareness of sexual abuse. In addition to this, employment training is provided to those over 15 years old in order to help them earn a living. Training focuses on skills for the highly employable tourist sector of Sudan, such as the hotel industry, restaurants and other services.　In 2009, JCCP established an office in Juba, the regional capital of Southern Sudan, in order to implement its aid projects to their highest potential.


7.What other international activities are being undertaken in Sudan?

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) was established in March 2005 in order to assist the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to provide humanitarian aid and protect human rights. There are enormous aid demands in southern Sudan which include but are not limited to: transportation assistance for refugee repatriation, treatment of HIV/AIDS, maintenance of infrastructure, emergency humanitarian aid and mid-term strategy for the improvement of citizens' livelihood.　However, it has been repeatedly stated by aid agencies that they have received extremely limited access regarding the distribution of humanitarian aid; the Sudanese government refuses to allow aid agencies to access the areas of Sudan where the fighting actually occurs, making it immensely difficult to transport both goods and staff to the areas that need them the most.
In 2008, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, indicting him on five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes. The ICC then issued a second arrest warrant in July of 2010, adding three counts of genocide to his list of crimes. The African Union (AU) has publicly requested the ICC to suspend the arrest warrant, stating that they wish to conduct their own investigation into the charges. Since the issue of the warrant, the AU has passed a resolution urging African states not to arrest al-Bashir, and the president has freely travelled to (and been welcomed by) ICC member states in Africa.