Conflict and peace
![East Timorese children displaced from their homes by burning and looting take refuge in a temporary camp protected by UN peacekeeping troops [Mike Goldwater]](/var/storage/images/media_folder/cafod/images/international_images/asia/east_timor/two_boys_and_soldier/3807-2-eng-GB/two_boys_and_soldier_1column50_12space_landscape.jpg)
Conflict does not finish with a peace agreement. Whatever caused the outbreak of tension or armed conflict often continues to exist long after a peace agreement has been signed
In the five years immediately after a conflict, the risk of returning to war is estimated at around 40 per cent. So, ensuring the fundamental rights of those involved and their communities will be respected and protected is crucial.
To this end, our work tackles the root causes of conflict - whether political, economic, social, cultural, or environmental - in order to build a just and sustainable peace.
Priests and sisters from our partner Caritas Sri Lanka stand in solidarity alongside thousands of forced to flee their homes during the ongoing conflict in that country.
Bishop Thomas of Jaffna says: “My priests and sisters have told me they will not abandon the people but move with them wherever they are going. I am a Christian and God has taught us that not through violence, but through love we can bring about peace."
 | South Sudan: conflict in Jonglei We are working with our partners to deliver aid to people driven from their homes by fighting in Jonglei State. |
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Secondary school teachers: Materials and resources for the classroom |
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Niger is the largest country in Western Africa. Around 80 percent of it is covered by the Sahara desert and the non-desert parts frequently suffer droughts and food shortages. |
![Smoke rise from burnt homes in Abyei [REUTERS/Stuart Price/UNMIS courtesy of alertnet]](/var/storage/images/cafod-online-images/sudan2/sudan-abyei/1400620-1-eng-GB/sudan-abyei_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg) | Sudan: Obama echoes CAFOD’s call for peace In his speech to Parliament in May, Barack Obama echoed CAFOD’s call for peace in Sudan. |
 | Sudan: Bishop urges end to conflict More than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes by fighting in South Kordofan, a state in north Sudan. We fear a humanitarian crisis is rapidly developing. |
