Sudan: Strengthening the Conditions for a Civilian-Led Democratic Transition

In South Kordofan and Blue Nile, decades of conflict have led to widespread instability, faltering local economies, and a lack of civilian political participation. Prior to the current conflict, the lack of tangible dividends to communities was a key spoiler of democratic transformation in Sudan. Nevertheless, active civil society networks have effectively navigated the various iterations of conflict and peace through the efforts of brave and dedicated civilians. In the context of the newly ignited conflict, active civil society, including women and youth networks, continue to require timely and catalytic support to better organize themselves, as well as access to timely and reliable information so they can better affect democratic change.

USAID/OTI Sudan Transition Program – South (STP-S) implements activities focused on critical support to civil society organizations, building social cohesion, and strategic communications and public information/outreach. The project maintains two regional offices in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States (known as the Two Areas).

The goal of STP-S is to strengthen the conditions for a civilian-led democratic transition in Sudan. The project does this through activities that 1) support efforts to pursue democratic change; 2) improve access to timely and accurate information about democratic change efforts; and 3) engage citizens to model democratic behaviors.