Biden administration makes final Sudan push
U.S. policy concerning Sudan intensified throughout 2024. Now it may end with a bang.
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American diplomats seem determined to make the most of the Biden administration’s twilight days on the world stage, including considering plans to declare that specific atrocities in Sudan meet the high legal threshold of the crime of genocide, issuing a wave of new sanctions, and more.
A quick recap for those who are new to the situation in Sudan. For 20 long months, Sudan’s national army and a genocidal militia called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have torn Sudan to shreds in a brutal war for control of the country. Now the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crises for roughly a year, the plight of the Sudanese people is still largely being ignored by many world leaders and journalists. Khartoum is mostly destroyed, as are countless towns and villages the war has blasted through, or that the RSF has massacred. Multiple areas of Sudan descended into famine months ago. The death toll is unknown, but some estimates earlier this year were already surging past 150,000 Sudanese killed.
The United States has mobilized more countries and international institutions throughout 2024 in a concerted effort to end the war and pry open humanitarian access, making some limited progress concerning the latter these past few months especially. Still, nearly half of all humanitarian aid provided to the Sudanese people this year came from the United States.
With the Biden administration in its final weeks, senior U.S. officials are now racing to lock in whatever progress they can. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the United Nations Security Council on December 19, where he said:
“So to the foreign sponsors sending drones, missiles, mercenaries – enough. To those profiting off the illicit oil and gold trade that fund this conflict – enough. Use your resources to ease Sudanese suffering, not deepen it. Use your influence to end the war, not perpetuate it. Don’t just claim to be concerned about Sudan’s future, prove it.”
When asked in a recent interview what the American focus will be the next few weeks, U.S. Special Envoy Tom Perriello added:
“Well, one of the things that Secretary Blinken made clear today at the United Nations is that we're going to use every second we've got, and we've got some momentum. We're in the fifth straight month of breaking the largest humanitarian embargo in the world, but we have so much more to do. We've seen four times more food and medicine moving into Sudan than we saw just a few months ago, and each one of those is food and medicine reaching a mother or a child that's been malnourished for months in places like Zamzam camp or Kadugli in South Kordofan. We're getting the convoys moving, including the first convoy into parts of southern Khartoum since the war began almost two years ago. So, we have got to lock in those humanitarian gains that are saving lives. But ultimately, we've got to move towards a ceasefire, even a temporary ceasefire, from the parties, to give some relief to the horrific conditions that millions of Sudanese people are facing.”
The Biden administration also seems to be considering taking more serious steps. Speaking to Politico, four current and former American officials said the administration is “weighing plans to declare the atrocities in Sudan as a genocide and issue a raft of new sanctions” on the RSF. This includes sanctions on lead RSF general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —aka “Hemeti”— and other RSF enterprises that are propping the militia up. The Biden team is also being pressured from the outside to appoint a senior USAID official to oversee the international aid effort to Sudan heading in to the Trump administration.
While a genocide declaration would be a major step, it’s unclear exactly how this would change the status quo in the short term. There is often a misguided belief in the general public that using the word genocide immediately triggers rapid policy changes and a massive global response. History suggests this is rarely the case. Still, if the State Department has significant evidence that RSF crimes reach the legal threshold of genocide —and evidence does seem to exist— then that determination should be announced now and additional efforts should be made to further document crimes being committed for future prosecutions. A lack of accountability in the past is a major driver of the current war. This cycle needs to be broken.
It is unknown what action, if any, the incoming Trump administration will take with regard to the crisis in Sudan. Continuing the Biden team’s approach these past several months should be the bare minimum and efforts are underway to communicate that; but, ultimately, Trump’s foreign policy officials will have to decide to make the plight of the Sudanese people a priority day in and day out. Time will tell if they have the political will to do so. Until then, we must continue doing everything we can to help local heroes on the ground save lives.
Make Your Last Gift of 2024
This year in Sudan has been both challenging and inspiring. While the war has brought unprecedented suffering, we've also witnessed the incredible resilience and compassion of the Sudanese heroes we partner with.
As 2024 comes to a close, we invite you to make one last gift to Sudanese teachers, aid workers, and healthcare professionals. Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.
Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.
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American diplomats seem determined to make the most of the Biden administration’s twilight days on the world stage, including weighing plans to declare that specific atrocities in Sudan meet the high legal threshold of the crime of genocide: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/biden-administration-makes-final-sudan-push
It is unknown what action, if any, the incoming Trump administration will take with regard to the crisis in Sudan. Continuing the Biden team’s approach these past several months should be the bare minimum. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/biden-administration-makes-final-sudan-push
Throughout 2024, the United States mobilized more countries and international institutions in a concerted effort to end the war and pry open humanitarian access to hard-hit areas, making some limited progress concerning the latter these past few months. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/biden-administration-makes-final-sudan-push
