Caritas Internationalis fears that a full scale war is imminent between Sudan and South Sudan with dire humanitarian consequences for both unless there is pull back from further military action.
South Sudan became independent from Sudan last July following a popular vote. It was the culmination of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended decades of war.
However, areas of contention including border demarcation, the status of disputed areas in Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile and oil rights still have not been resolved.
The Caritas confederation of over 160 Catholic aid agencies fears that recent clashes over these issues have now brought the two countries to the brink.
Caritas is also concerned over the use of extreme rhetoric by officials and that it is inciting an environment of fear. Attacks in Sudan on Christians such as the ransacking of the Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum on Saturday are deeply troubling.
Over 500,000 South Sudanese live in Sudan. Relations at a community level between the predominately Muslim Sudanese and the Christian South Sudanese remains good.
Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Michel Roy says, "Caritas appeals to Sudan and South Sudan to stop military actions along the border. It's not too late for both governments to check the momentum leading to an all out war. Peace can only be achieved by returning to the negotiating table and fully implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."
"The international community has failed to act decisively to prevent an escalation towards war. They must follow through with their commitments to ensure all outstanding issues are resolved peacefully."
"Two million people died in the last war. Everyone will be losers in another conflict. Our belief is that the peoples of Sudan and South Sudan want peace. Their governments and the international community achieved great things in ending the war, they cannot allow those gains to be lost."
"Both sides must exercise restraint. They have a duty to all their people and must ensure their safety. This includes refraining from inflammatory language that incites violence against minorities."
"Caritas Internationalis stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan and South Sudan. We are committed to supporting the efforts of the Church at providing humanitarian assistance and fostering peace between the nations."
Caritas Internationalis is looking for more details after its member Sudan Aid has had its office closed in Nyala in Darfur by security forces. Sudan Aid is part of relief efforts for 500,000 people in Darfur providing food, clean water, healthcare and other aid.
Caritas organisations have operations in Sudan and South Sudan, including pre-emergency planning to cope with the fallout from a return to fighting with its large displacement of people.
For more information, please contact Patrick Nicholson on 0039 334 359 0700 or
"; //This hidden field is sent with the form to fill the activeDiv property of CommentsForm HTML += "
"; HTML += ""; //The inner HTML of the div is set to the output HTML document.getElementById(activatedDiv).innerHTML = HTML; document.getElementById("selectedDiv").value = activatedDiv; return HTML; }
Newer articles:
- White House condemns Sudan air strikes in South Sudan - Reuters - 24/04/2012 19:01
- White House condemns Sudan air strikes in South Sudan - MSN Money - 24/04/2012 18:00
- South Sudan: Days Ahead 'Crucial' to Avoid War With Sudan - Voice of America - 24/04/2012 18:00
- Official: Sudan planes drop bombs on South Sudan - WTVQ - 24/04/2012 16:17
- Sudan: 35000 Newly Displaced Near Sudan-South Sudan Border - AllAfrica.com - 24/04/2012 15:03
Older news items
- South Sudan president: Sudan has 'declared war' - Pioneer Press - 24/04/2012 14:42
- Official: Sudan planes drop 8 bombs on South Sudan - NECN - 24/04/2012 14:14
- South Sudan needs long-term support to build on fragile gains - The Guardian - 24/04/2012 13:42
- South Sudan's leader says Sudan has declared war - Pioneer Press - 24/04/2012 13:40
- South Sudan's leader says Sudan has declared war - Beaver County Times - 24/04/2012 13:09
Latest news items (all categories):
- علاقة عقيمة من طرف واحد - 12/04/2024 01:25
- Press Release - International poetry initiative seeks poems on African experiences of migration - 04/04/2024 23:28
- South Sudan oil revenue dwindles - 31/03/2024 00:46
- The decline of Equatoria and emergence of Jieng tribal power in South Sudan - 30/03/2024 23:10
- Both SPLM-IG's No-extension and SPLM-IO's Extension Proposals are all means for No 2024 Elections - 24/03/2024 23:14
See also (all categories):
Random articles (all categories):
- The Energy Wars Heat Up - Huffington Post (blog) - 10/05/2012 15:47
- Jobs - Multiple Vacancies with UNICEF South Sudan (Dec-2014) - 05/12/2014 10:13
- OPM delivers relief food for Uganda-South Sudan border clash victims - 22/05/2023 06:31
- ردًا على القس جوشوا داو ديو بشأن مزاعمه الكاذبة المستمرة حول مدينة ملكال - 23/08/2020 09:08
- South African court attacks government over 'disgraceful' flight of al-Bashir - 15/03/2016 10:34
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 30699 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 21838 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 20722 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 17193 times
- With prisons full, South Sudan to introduce mobile courts to clear backlog of cases - 11/10/2012 11:29 - Read 14194 times