Tag archives for Sudan
Sudan Takes Another Step in Its Peace Process
Submitted by Diana Harper Last week we reported on the successful and peaceful close of voter registration in Sudan for January’s referendum on southern independence. In another promising development, this month Blue Nile state began popular consultations, a political process guaranteed by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended Sudan’s violent, 22-year civil war. [...]
Voter Registration for Referendum Completed in Sudan
Submitted by Diana Harper Last week, voter registration for the January referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan came to a close in Sudan after a process described as peaceful, well-managed, and participatory. To see first-hand what voter registration was like, USAID staff captured video at the registration kickoff in Juba, the regional capital of southern [...]
Voter Registration Begins for Sudan Referendum
Submitted by Angela Stephens Voter registration began today in Sudan for the landmark referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan, which is scheduled to begin January 9. The referendum—a key provision of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended 22 years of war between northern and southern Sudan—will allow the people of southern Sudan to choose [...]
USAID Delivers Materials for Southern Sudan Self-Determination Referendum
Submitted by DAA/AFR Larry Garber One of the highlights of my trip to Sudan last week was seeing all the work we at USAID have been doing to help southern Sudan prepare for its historic referendum on self-determination. Voting is due to start January 9, 2011. Despite initial delays as the parties to Sudan’s 2005 [...]
Southern Sudan’s Wildlife Thrives
Submitted by Susan Quinn, USAID/Africa Many readers of this month’s National Geographic magazine were surprised to find that the world’s second largest—possibly even the largest—wildlife migration travels through the formerly war-torn region of southern Sudan. According to a USAID-supported study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the annual movement of the white-eared kob—a type of [...]
Food Voucher Program Will Assist Sudanese Families
Submitted by Angela Stephens Most U.S. food assistance to Sudan is “in-kind” aid—food that is grown by farmers in the United States, purchased on the open market, then shipped to Sudan. Voucher programs, on the other hand, offer an alternative and complementary approach that gives families access to foods they are already familiar with and [...]
Improving Access to Education for Girls in Sudan
Submitted by Angela Stephens, USAID/LPA Following more than two decades of civil war, southern Sudan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. The areas in Sudan’s north-south border zone also suffered greatly during the war, including Blue Nile state, bordering Ethiopia. Girls have been disproportionately affected, with lower rates of literacy and [...]
Partnership Plans Announced at Southern Sudan Agriculture Conference
Submitted by Angela Stephens Despite enormous potential for southern Sudan’s agriculture sector, decades of conflict and the legacies of war—including poor transport, limited storage capacity and processing facilities, and a poor investment climate—have hindered agriculture development. As a result, most southern Sudanese farmers produce for subsistence rather than profit, and consumers suffer from high prices [...]
Microfinance is Boosting Entrepreneurs in Southern Sudan
Submitted by Angela Stephens Last month, USAID sponsored the First Southern Sudan Microfinance Conference, giving experts and practitioners an opportunity to exchange views about how to build the sector, which is still in its infancy in southern Sudan. In 2003, when USAID helped establish the Sudan Microfinance Institution (SUMI), there were no financial services of [...]
