On 19 June 2006, peace talks aimed at settling the complex conflict in eastern Sudan were said to have come to a conclusion. With international focus on Darfur, this has been achieved largely away from the glare of the international media.
Following recent improvements in relations between the Governments of Sudan and Eritrea, a climate came into being which has made this potential settlement possible. Talks between the government and the EF - an alliance of two rebel movements, the Beja Congress and a smaller insurgency, the Rashaida Free Lions - began in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on 13 June and concluded on Monday with the signing of two agreements, according to IRIN.
Commentators have frequently drawn potential parallels between eastern Sudan and the west, where the ongoing Darfur conflict is continuing to claim many lives. Those in the east have frequently claimed to have been ignored by the government in Khartoum, including not being a party to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, ending two decades of civil war.
The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sudan, Manuel Aranda Da Silva, is on record as saying that eastern Sudan, in particular Kassala and Red Sea States, are "probably the poorest part of Sudan, and strong development programmes are needed there". Ockenden International has been working in this area for over 20 years.
Graham Wood, Head of Policy at Ockenden, agreed with Da Silva's analysis. "Ockenden has long been trying to draw attention to the marginalisation of eastern Sudan and campaigning for the region to be fully included in the peace dividends," Wood said. "The problem is that expectations were very high following the signing of the peace agreement and few people have really had the opportunity to see any real benefits in eastern Sudan," Wood added.
Ockenden International has been working in eastern Sudan, home to some 100,000 refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia, for more than 25 years. Initially we worked with refugees from the civil war in Ethiopia. More recently displaced communities and poorer local people have been the focus of our work which has included a ground breaking HIV/AIDS prevention programme.
