The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Conflict Resolution: The Case of Darfur Region, Sudan

Abstract

This study examines the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in contemporary conflict resolution in Sudan, focusing on Darfur conflict as case study. The study used both historical and descriptive methods to obtain empirical data, thus different tools such as in-depth interviews (IDI), focus group discussions (FGD) and structured questionnaires were used for gathering primary data. Other secondary sources were used to enrich the paper, especially in the literature review section. The conflict in Darfur rooted historically several years back, but it became more violent in February 2002.Though it has not yet been completely resolved; the conflict affects all aspects of people’s lives in the region. Several actors at national, regional and international levels have been involved to achieve sustainable peace in Darfur with signature of several partial peace agreements between Sudan Government and some opposition groups. Considering the crucial roles played by the CSOs, the paper concluded that involvement of CSOs in conflict resolution is important for comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement in the region, but the government and opposition groups should also be willing to achieve the peace through attending dialogues and negotiations.