CARE is part of the international effort to provide food, water and other relief to refugees fleeing brutal attacks in Sudan.

The protracted crisis in Darfur – with its regional implications throughout Sudan and neighboring countries – has been a primary focus of CARE International’s work relating to countries in armed conflict since late 2003.  After decades of development and relief work in Sudan, CARE initiated advocacy activities in 1998 aimed at ending the long-running civil war between the north and south.  Six years later, while remaining engaged in providing post-conflict assistance in the South, CARE International’s advocacy efforts turned increasingly to the deadly conflict arising in the three Western states of Darfur. 

Advocacy regarding Darfur remains a top priority today, despite the conclusion of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) last May, as violence against civilians in the region has in fact worsened since the signing of the accord.  Vocal opposition to the DPA from local communities in Darfur has fueled fighting between signatories and non-signatories to the accord, as well fighting among Darfur rebel groups, themselves. This has led to ever-growing population displacements and general insecurity, preventing humanitarian organizations from providing assistance to thousands of civilians in need. Meanwhile, the 7,000 strong African Union peacekeeping force currently on the ground in Darfur is severely under-resourced in relation to the significant and dangerous demands faced by the troops. 

Through various Darfur-related initiatives, CARE International seeks to influence key policy-makers within the United Nations, African Union and European Union, as well as individual member states of those organizations. 

Based on its extensive programming in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan, CARE provides analysis and recommendations to policy-makers at all levels, aiming to ensure that the international community remains dedicated to achieving a sustainable peace in the region and providing assistance to the more than two million refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the conflict.  To this end, together with NGO partners concerned with Sudan, CARE International has developed letters, media statements, opinion pieces, policy briefs and awareness-raising activities.  In New York, much of this work has focused on achieving UN Security Council resolutions and peacekeeping mandates with strong provisions for the protection of civilians and other principles of international humanitarian law.  Specific advocacy initiatives in Darfur to date have included: