The United States Department of State plans to appoint a new special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, following months of demands by Democratic and Republican lawmakers to hire a senior troubleshooter to help prevent one of Africa’s largest countries from spiraling deeper into civil war, ethnic cleansing, and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The move comes more than nine months after Sudan’s democratic transition came crashing down, as the Sudan Armed Forces and a powerful Sudanese militia, known as the Rapid Support Forces, came to blows in April, triggering a new wave of violence in a country that has been in and out of conflict for decades. It also coincides with a decision by the U.S. ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, acting as the informal envoy, to step down from his job in the coming weeks, according to several diplomatic sources.
The appointment aims to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to ending a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of more than 12,000 Sudanese and stymied international efforts to help Khartoum develop its economy. The current war has displaced nearly 8 million people and led to a resumption of mass killings in Darfur, the site of genocide in the early aughts. It has also upended one of the U.S.’s most important policy objectives in sub-Saharan Africa, steering a largely hostile Islamic autocracy accused of genocide into a flourishing democracy.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
