Sudan: Nation at a turning point

Sudan has been riddled with conflict since its independence in 1956. The conflict between the north and south of the country has taken over 2 million lives during 22 years of fighting and left the south of the country completely undeveloped. It is common in southern Sudan to walk hours to get drinking water or to access even the most basic medical care. In the west of the country, over 200,000 people have died and many hundreds of thousands more are displaced from their homes, living in camps as refugees and IDPs, victims of a chronic crisis in Darfur.

The nation is at a turning point this year. The war in the south came to an end in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The culmination of this agreement was in January 2011- a referendum in which 4 million southern Sudanese people chose between remaining a unified Sudan or to separate and form their own new nation. The results were released officially on February 14, 2011. The Southern Sudanese people voted overwhelmingly for separation, with more than 98% in favor of forming a new country.

In Darfur, months of peace talks have ground to a halt. Ongoing violence continues in the region and tense relationships with the government in the area mean that humanitarian workers have less and less access to people in need in Darfur.

InterAction members continue to provide life saving humanitarian relief, early recovery, and development programs to the people of Sudan during this time. This page links to information about InterAction members working in Sudan; provides updates on the latest news; answers questions about the effects of the referendum and the peace talks on the lives of Sudanese people and the NGOs working with them Click here to read more about the work of InterAction NGO members in Sudan.

For final certified results from the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, click here.

For maps of Sudan, see UN Sudan Information Gateway or Relief Web.