Aid and Civil Society Groups Recommend Steps Toward Lasting Peace in Sudan

More than 70 representatives from Sudanese civil society and international non-governmental organisations, including the IRC, today expressed deep concern about the lack of democracy and rule of law in Sudan. In a statement presented on the second day of a major donor conference on Sudan’s post-conflict reconstruction, the organizations also called for an end to the ongoing suffering and violence throughout the country, particularly in the troubled Darfur region.

The organizations said that the political, social and economic atmosphere in Sudan is not conducive to the transformation of the country into a democratic society. Fundamental and basic rights of the Sudanese people are not observed or protected by the state.

Among other things, the group called for immediate reforms of the legal system, press freedom and a transformation from military to civilian rule. The organizations said that civil society must play an integral role in the peace and the constitutional processes.

The April 11-12 meeting in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, brings together around 60 donor nations.