Epidemic of conflict and the role of peace culture and tolerance education on conflict resolution
MENA Dubai 2003 Abstract
Author Abdel Basit Merghani
Copy A miasma of political and social disputes has resulted in conflicts erupting across Sudanese Society. Two civil wars have consumed 35 years and claimed the lives of nearly 2 M. people since the independence in 1956. The geo-ethnic split of the nation along Bahar El-Arab has created fertile ground for tribal conflicts southern Darfour and Southern Kordufan.

These conflicts began brewing before independence, but have intensified lately. The mass migration of people fleeing the war or the drought has created a 4 M. Internally Displaced Persons, population to swell to unmanageable proportions.

The potential for continued conflicts is considerable. As long as the war persists, people will continue to be psychologically disturbed, displaced and refugees will continue be live in camps. As long as tribesmen have arms, children of the last two generations in Southern Sudan are major problem and traumatized. Unless the community is educated to tolerate and accommodate them they shall be potential source of antisocial behavior and violence. Unless the combatants, IDPs and the communities at large are enabled to handle conflicts peacefully, this cycle of violence is expected to continue.

The main objective of this paper is to create a strong local mechanism for delivering abroad based conflict prevention, peace culture, forgiveness, healing, and tolerance education in Sudan.

The second and long-term objective is to create a strong and effective conflict resolving bodies and to help psychologists, stakeholders and concerned people in conflict transformation and peace building to better understand conflict situation and to better develop mechanisms for its management, psychological interventions, resolution and transformation into peace.

In view of the above, it was decided that a conflict prevention/resolution in the Sudan be set up to promote peace culture versus war culture, tolerance education and traditional mechanism in conflict management.