Voices for Sudan is a U.S.-based coalition of a diverse network of Sudan-led organizations in the Diaspora dedicated to resolving the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. VFS envisions a modern Sudan at peace with itself and its neighbors, where human rights are protected by the government and where sustainable economic development can flourish.

Voices for Sudan (VFS) was founded by a diverse coalition representing many ethnic and regional groups to advocate for lasting and sustainable peace, justice and economic development in our homeland—a nation troubled by more than 50 years of war and violence.

Sudan has been beset by conflict for most of its history since independence in 1956. These conflicts have resulted in the death of more than two million individuals and the largest internally displaced population in the world—some four million—in south Sudan alone. In Darfur, according to UN figures as many as 300,000 people have died since the conflict began and some 2.7 million have fled their homes.

While many in the international community are well acquainted with ongoing conflicts in Southern Sudan and Darfur, residents of the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, Eastern Sudan and Nubia regions also face grave threats to life and liberty. As a coalition of respected advocates, VFS seeks a comprehensive solution to instability in all regions of the country.

Through pressure from the United States and the international community, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005 between South and North, ending the protracted war. Despite the signing of CPA, grave internal conflicts remain widespread in Southern Sudan and in the Darfur region. VFS believes that the CPA is a cornerstone of the peace process in Sudan, and that implementation of the CPA must be pursued and supported. Therefore, it is important to develop a framework for peace that is modeled on the CPA structure and that grants distribution of powers, wealth sharing, security arrangements, and rights to land.

The CPA provides a path for elections in 2010, which may lead to democratic transformation of the country. A government committed to address Sudan’s fundamental problems of conflict within itself would lead the country on a new path of peace and prosperity. A successful election requires a strong, well-organized and coordinated approach by opposition groups, empowering periphery leadership and positioning them to play a strategic and constructive role in the process.

VFS contends that the Darfur-groups must be united in order to direct efforts towards peace, agreeing on a common platform for negotiations, and power-sharing structures.

The complexity of Sudan’s issues and realizing the long-term goal of sustainable peace in Sudan requires a joint effort and investment by Sudanese and international organizations. Voices for Sudan, therefore; proposed this project to support a Diaspora advocacy program that seeks to unite the voices of Sudanese from all regions of Sudan and the support of allies from all nations and all faiths who are inspired to stand as a witness for Sudan.