USAID/OTI Sudan Field Report
November 2004
Program Description
OTI’s programming in Sudan works to link ongoing peace processes, at the local and national level, to initiatives that promote increased participation of southern Sudanese in their governing structures. The four main objectives of the OTI southern Sudan program are to: support the emergence of responsive, effective, and inclusive civil authorities; restore the conditions of peace within and among communities through support of opportunities for peaceful dialogue; assist in the emergence of an empowered and active civil society; and, increase access to quality, independent information.
OTI’s implementing partners are PACT and Educational Development Center (EDC). PACT manages the Southern Sudan Transition Initiative (SSTI), which is a two-year small grants program that focuses on promoting and supporting good governance, local-level peace initiatives, the development of civil society and an informative and balanced media. EDC has established the Sudan Radio Service which is a short-wave radio station that transmits six hours of programming daily on current events, civic education, health and culture in nine languages.
Country Situation
U.S. Renews Sanctions Against Sudan – This month President Bush extended sanctions against Sudan for one year. The White House issued a statement that said in part, “Sudan’s actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
Security Council Pressures Parties to End Sudan Wars – The UN held a rare session of the Security Council in Nairobi to bring world attention to the on-going crises in Sudan. The council passed a unanimous resolution offering support to peace processes in the country aimed at ending both the North/South civil war and the Darfur crisis. Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and SPLM/A leader John Garang signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to sign a final comprehensive agreement by the end of the year.
Uganda Attacks LRA’s Positions in Sudan – According to newspaper reports, the Ugandan army claims to have killed ten fighters of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have chasing the group into southern Sudan. Earlier reports indicate LRA leader Joseph Kony issued a directive to his fighters in northern Uganda to return to bases in southern Sudan.
Massive UN Peacekeeping Deployment Expected After Signing – UN special envoy Jan Pronk announced plans to deploy up to 7,000 peacekeeping troops into southern Sudan upon signing of a final agreement between the Sudanese government and SPLM. Pronk said after signing the accord, the UN would move many of its specialized agencies from Nairobi to Rumbek.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
In total, over 30 community-based organizations have received capacity building training through the SSTI program. The impact of the trainings is becoming evident as more local NGOs begin to organize and network around peace-building, rule of law and good governance initiatives in southern Sudan. In November, thirteen Sudanese organizations received OTI grants to promote civic education training, peace dialogues and conflict analysis.
The Pankar region of Bahr El Ghazal witnessed an increase in instability and violent conflict in early 2004. Through the OTI-supported Pankar Rapid Response project, a series of community peace meetings were convened where critical resolutions, recommendations and plans for resolving conflict were developed. As a result, the region is experiencing a period of relative calm and stability. In order to consolidate the gains made through the project, OTI awarded a grant to the Pankar Peace council to organize a series of meetings to review progress on the implementation early warning systems and the agreements reached between various sub-clans.
One of the fastest growing towns in southern Sudan is Rumbek, which is slated to be the interim capitol of the south upon the signing of a final peace deal. With a grant from OTI, a local organization is planning a key stakeholder’s conference in Rumbek to address issues of access to land, rule of law, and the reintegration of refugees and internally displaced. The conference will also examine the lessons learned from the Pankar Rapid Response project to develop conflict mitigation tools in Rumbek County. These activities ensure community members take ownership of their town’s development plan.
The border area near Uganda in the southeast of Equatoria remains one of the last zones of instability in southern Sudan despite the recent integration of former GoS-supported militia of the Equatorian Defense Force into the SPLA. Frequent attacks on civilian targets by the Lord’s Resistance Army have compounded the suffering of communities living in this region. Four community groups based in eastern Equatoria received a grant from OTI to jointly implement a conflict impact assessment in the troubled area. The groups will provide a detailed analysis on the causes of conflict, examine the status of the EDF/SPLA integration and determine appropriate methods of alleviating the impact of this complex emergency on the population. The findings will be disseminated widely to key stakeholders including international NGOs and the SPLM.
After receiving the full backing of the SPLM for the dissemination of the Naivasha Protocols throughout southern Sudan, OTI issued seven grants to Sudanese NGOs in November to begin coordinating the logistics for this massive undertaking. The groups are under the umbrella organization of the National Working Group on Civic Education (NWGCE) whose members have already received training in dissemination methodologies and project monitoring/evaluating. Radio programs, town hall meetings, posters and taped messages are just a handful of mediums to be utilized in the information campaign. Residents in the transitional zone of the Nuba Mountains will now have a local newspaper thanks to an OTI grant issued to the Koinonia Community group. The Nuba Information Center for Community Empowerment (NICE) weekly newsletter will provide information on local, regional and international news as well as an opinion section to debate matters of public interest.
In November, the Sudan Radio Service began airing a ten week drama series promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in southern Sudan in collaboration with Tearfund, an international organization working the health sector. SRS has also worked with CARE and ARC on education and health related soap/dramas to be aired in the coming weeks. A Sudanese writer completed a 12-part comedy series in Arabic called “Comedia Jedidah” that is set in the north and is currently airing once a week.
SRS has contracted a Kenyan consulting firm to carry out a radio survey in southern Sudan. The survey results will yield valuable information on radio listening habits, opinions on SRS programming and accessibility, times people listen and what languages are most popular. Survey results are expected by the end of January 2005.
B. Grants Activity Summary
| Promote emergence of responsive, effective and inclusive civil authorities |
1 |
$ 15,818 |
24 |
$1,148,758 |
| Provide opportunities for peaceful dialogue within and among communities. |
3 |
$ 91,050 |
37 |
$1,988,656 |
| Promote the emergence of an empowered and an active civil society |
8 |
$140,217 |
33 |
$ 935,795 |
| Increase availability of quality, independent information |
1 |
$ 22,770 |
14 |
$4,182,259 |
| Total |
13 |
$269,855 |
108 |
$8,255,468 |
C. Indicator of Success
As a result of cross-line meetings between the Bor and Murle communities supported by OTI over the past six months, the two communities are openly discussing the sharing of grazing lands during the dry season. In addition, the two communities agreed to identify a peace monitor for the region to ensure that sustainable peace is maintained. For the first time in nearly a decade, trade between the two communities has opened up and the threat of physical violence has diminished. The communities are engaging in discussions on how to incorporate new IDPs into the region.
OTI’s support to four mobile courts in Bahr El Ghazal has been crucial to the significant reduction of tension and violence in the area. With judges and investigators on the ground, communities are opting to wait for the mobile court to adjudicate rather than resort to violence. Over 1,500 looted cattle have been recovered and handed over to owners and there is increased freedom of movement allowing better access to markets, grazing lands and health centers.
D. Program Appraisal
With the dry season approaching, OTI Sudan will to continue to increase the number of grants issued as larger parts of the region become accessible. The growing maturity and capacity of Sudanese community-based organizations is becoming evident in the variety and types of initiatives being developed by these groups. In the final evaluations, many groups attribute their strengthened capacity to the support from OTI.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
- Coordinate massive protocol dissemination project.
- OTI M&E consultant comes on board.
- Work on annual reporting requirements
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: Nhelly Saleh, Sudan Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-0795, nsaleh@usaid.gov
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