Please see Concordis review of 2024 below, you can also click the small down arrow to download it and view it full screen:
Please see below the latest Concordis update below, head to: www.concordis.international/ or watch some of their latest videos at: https://www.youtube.com/@concordisinternational
Latest Updates from Concordis (December 2024)
This is the team preparing the ground for a series of inter-community peace talks in South Darfur. The war is still going on, but they’re gently encouraging folks not to get involved, to manage land conflicts peacefully instead, and to concentrate on growing food / tending livestock instead of fighting.
Greetings from the Concordis Team
Dear Friends,
As the rains begin across the central African belt, roads are becoming impassable and gradually the Concordis teams are confined to base. It’s time for annual leave and well-earned rest after a busy few months. I bring you news here of some of that activity: We start with a rare good news story from Darfur in Sudan, where Concordis is one of few non-governmental organisations still working despite the ongoing war.
As part of work to build resilience to violence and curb the worst excess of war, we have brought farmers and herders from different tribes together to resolve their differences in a series of transformational peace conferences. A peace conference is like an iceberg: you only see the tip of the work that has gone into bringing conflicting parties together. They are only effective if they are based on trust and built on relationships. That is what we work to build. This long term relationship building is also why the seasonal migration of cattle in Abyei has passed off peacefully this year.
Finally, in our cattle themed newsletter, watch a video about the livestock vaccination programme in the Central African Republic, which has now reached 200,000 cattle, as well as sheep, goats and, when they can be caught, chickens too!
Go well,
Peter
Peter Marsden, Chief Executive, Concordis International
Rare good news from South Darfur in Sudan: Trust as a Way to Build Peace
In the midst of civil war, where travelling is dangerous and trust is scarce, something extraordinary happened in South Darfur: a peace conference brought leaders from three localities to talk about how to resolve the deep-rooted, historic conflicts between their diverse communities. This is part of our work to build resilience to conflict in the Darfuri communities coping with the ongoing war and the deprivation that it brings.
This peace conference was encouraging because it produced concrete agreements that will ease relationships between farmers and herders, and between the ethnic groups they represent. This was the first of five similar peace conferences that Concordis has facilitated across South Darfur.
Without months of work by Concordis staff to build relationship, trust and a desire for change, these people would not be willing to be in the same spot, let alone give each other the chance to talk and listen to one another.
Read more about the good news for these Sudanese communities here
Peaceful migration season in Abyei
Concordis has worked for ten years in the contested territory of Abyei and the borderlands of Sudan and South Sudan. The decade of relationship building means our teams can bring together groups of conflicting herders and farmers for peace conferences. Because of the conversations and agreements reached, this year’s seasonal migration of cattle through Abyei has been the most peaceful yet.
The Concordis team have been invited to support peaceful movement of people, goods and livestock at two other border crossings further west.
Donate towards our peacebuilding work
Healthier cows = healthier relationships in the Central African Republic
Concordis is vaccinating a total of 242,093 animals (174,984 cows, 64,356 goats and sheep and 2,755 chickens) in the Central African Republic as part of our peacebuilding work. In a region characterised by seasonal migration, where the movement of sick animals across borders can spark conflict and mistrust. Our vaccination and veterinary care campaign ensures animal health, strengthens community livelihoods, and fosters social cohesion among local farmers, migrant herders, and Sudanese refugees. Cattle vaccinations don’t bring peace, but they are a powerful part of the peace builder’s toolbox.
Click here to read more about the impact of vaccinations
Support Concordis
St John’s Church supports Concordis in prayer and practical ways. If you would like to support them financially you can find details here: https://concordis.international/support-us-page