United States announces Special Envoy for Sudan
The U.S. State Department has appointed former diplomat and Congressman Tom Perriello as Special Envoy for Sudan. Special Envoys are personal representatives appointed by the president or the secretary of state, often to deal with a crisis in a specific region or play a key leadership role on complex, multilateral issues.
Perriello’s appointment comes as U.S. Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey exits his post. It appears the United States will leave that position unfilled for now. The American embassy in Khartoum remains shuttered due to the ongoing civil war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
From Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement:
Wait, what’s happening in Sudan?
One of the worst armed conflicts and the largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world.
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Special Envoy Perriello will work to empower Sudanese civilian leaders and drive our engagement with partners in Africa, the Middle East, and the international community to forge a united approach to stop this senseless conflict, prevent further atrocities, and promote accountability for crimes already committed.
He re-joins the Department having previously served as the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of Congo and as the Special Representative for the second Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. He also represented Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. Special Envoy Perriello’s extensive experience with peace, security and transitional justice issues on the African continent and other parts of the world have established him as a leader in this critical work. As he takes on this important role, he’ll draw on his over two decades of experience working across the executive branch, the legislative branch, multilateral institutions, and NGOs.
U.S. Special Envoys are the norm for Sudan
The Biden Administration appointing a Special Envoy is more or less a return to normalcy for how the United States has approached Sudan. Previous administrations over the past three decades often leaned on a Special Envoy to spearhead diplomacy. Ambassador Godfrey was the first U.S. Ambassador to Sudan in 25 years, making his posting a diplomatic anomaly.
Now, 18 months since he first walked into the U.S. embassy in Khartoum, Sudan is careening toward complete collapse as generals battle for control of a citizenry that does not want military rule. This is no fault of Ambassador Godfrey. As we noted at the time of his appointment, the prospect of war was already looming when he entered the job. Sudan was not a top priority of the U.S. government at the time either. It took nearly six months for the U.S. Senate just to confirm Godfrey as the U.S. ambassador to Sudan.
As the civil war in Sudan has spiraled over the past ten months, the silence of senior U.S. government officials and the chaotic international diplomacy to stem the killing has been truly mind-boggling. Multiple, unorganized rounds of peace talks led by various countries and organizations have failed to secure a ceasefire or improve humanitarian aid access. The current crisis requires a much more coherent international response, but the U.S. has largely failed to play its traditional role of coordinating and overseeing global efforts to silence the guns.
A challenging environment
The appointment of Tom Perriello to Special Envoy will hopefully bring some order to the chaos of the international response, but this move is no silver bullet. He comes into his role facing difficult political realities both at home and abroad.
If President Biden loses his reelection bid later this year, the Special Envoy position will likely disappear altogether as Perriello is a political appointee. Sadly, there are no signs that a potential Trump Administration will take a passing interest in Sudan. Congressional Republicans also aren’t thrilled with how the Biden Administration went about appointing a Special Envoy. Their primary concern, that this appointment is temporary in nature, has real merit considering the fractious state of U.S. politics.
But the most urgent need Perriello must address is consolidating American resources in fending off the numerous threats unfolding against the Sudanese people, including famine. The U.S. government has considerable regional resources it can bring to bear; however, with no embassy staff in country and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Sudan team currently operating out of Kenya, the structure of American power with regards to Sudan has been weakened.
This problem of drifting into being spread thin can be overcome, especially if the Special Envoy works closely with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who has often been the lone senior U.S. official sounding the alarm about the tragedy unfolding in Sudan.
Since Special Envoy Perriello will be unable to cultivate relationships with ordinary Sudanese in the war zones, it would be wise for him to visit refugee and survivor communities. If peace and democracy can still be achieved in Sudan, listening to the extraordinary stories and concerns of ordinary Sudanese is the only place to begin.
See Ambassador Power’s remarks beginning at 4:41.
And this, of course, really is just the beginning. American policy toward Sudan is stuck in neutral and has too broad an emphasis. The dark shadows of famine and new frontlines creep deeper into the country by the hour. It’s past time for American policy to get proactive and very practical. Choking off the flow of weapons into Sudan can help. Delivering even limited aid where it can be delivered isn’t nothing, and finding creative ways to pressure and punish those who are putting up roadblocks is necessary.
Special Envoy Perriello can push U.S. policy into a more energetic stance that saves lives and shows the Sudanese they are not alone. Only time will tell if he can see through a needed course correction. For his part, the Special Envoy seems eager to get to work.
The crisis unfolding in Sudan is now the most dangerous and destructive humanitarian catastrophe in the world. Nearly 25 million Sudanese —roughly half the country— are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Over 9 million Sudanese have been internally-displaced and over 1.5 million more have fled Sudan altogether. And nearly 20 million children can no longer attend school.
Our Sudanese partners are struggling as the war spreads and needs skyrocket. Your generosity will help them serve the most vulnerable in this time of tremendous need.
$2,200: Fund an entire classroom at Endure Primary School for one semester.
$1,000: Pays monthly salaries of 5 midwives.
$250 - Sponsors a life-saving C-section at Mother of Mercy Hospital.
$200 - Supports a teacher for one month.
$150 - Pays a nurse assistant’s salary for an entire month.
$100 - Give pencils, notebooks and other supplies to 16 students in Yida Refugee Camp.
$50 - Gives a day’s worth of medicine to three clinics.
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The U.S. State Department has appointed former diplomat and Congressman Tom Perriello to the position of Special Envoy for Sudan. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-announces-special-envoy-for-sudan
Sudan is careening toward complete collapse as generals battle for control of a citizenry that does not want military rule. A new Special Envoy may be able to help. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-announces-special-envoy-for-sudan
The appointment of Tom Perriello to Special Envoy will hopefully bring some order to the chaos of the international response, but this move is no silver bullet. He comes into his role facing difficult political realities both at home and abroad. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-announces-special-envoy-for-sudan
