NGOs welcome historic step towards peace in Sudan

"The agreement offers Sudan the best hope yet for peace. For millions of displaced people it will signal the start of their journey home.

It is the start of the process of healing for the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who have borne the brunt of this cruel conflict.'' said Cynthia Gaigals, a spokesperson for the agencies.

Despite this peace agreement, insufficient attention has been given to the underlying causes of Sudan's conflict, contributing to continued fighting in Darfur and tensions in the Beja area in the east.

"In Darfur nearly two million people have been driven from their homes, continued abuses and unrelenting attacks are a tragic blight on the peace process.

A peace settlement that does not seriously address the causes of conflict in Darfur and other areas cannot be comprehensive, nor can it be sustained without community involvement. The crisis of governance, the lack of respect for human rights and the marginalisation of ordinary citizens that contributed to the war have also fostered new crises." said Gaigals.

It is vital that the international community continue to work with the Government of Sudan and the SPLM to ensure that the peace deal is implemented.

"The next six months are the most fragile for this fledgling peace deal. A strong peace keeping mission must be deployed quickly by the United Nations. Sudan has been ravaged by civil war for generations, donors need to commit funds for essential development."

The agencies, CARE International, Christian Aid, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam International, Save the Children UK and Tearfund, have been working in Sudan for more than 20 years.

About CARE International in Sudan: CARE, as part of a coalition of six international NGOs, has worked constantly over the past two years to maintain the international community's constructive engagement with both parties to achieve peace.

CARE has been active in Sudan since 1979 and works in North, South and West Kordofan, Greater Khartoum, Unity and Bahr El Gazal states. Activities include water supply, reproductive health and family planning, agriculture and emergency food relief. In southern Sudan, CARE has worked with local communities, internally displaced people and refugees from neighboring countries. Activities include agriculture, health and education.

In Darfur CARE is distributing food for 400,000 people in South and West Darfur; delivering plastic sheeting for shelter, blankets, water containers and soap for aid agencies to distribute to 400,000 people in Darfur; providing water and latrines for 53,000 people in South Darfur; and running a therapeutic feeding centre in Nyala, South Darfur.

For more information, please contact:

Cynthia Gaigals, Spokesperson for the group of agencies: + 254 20 271 9721, +254 733 615 515

Kate Bulbulian, senior press officer, Tel: +44 (0) 207 934 9347, Mob: +44 (0) 7766 051 925 email: bulbulian@ciuk.org

or Amber Meikle, press officer, Tel: +44 (0)207 934 9348, Mob: +44 (0) 7867585879 email: