KEY POINTS
- U.S. envoy visits Sudan to address aid and conflict.
- Foreign involvement in Sudan’s war raises international concerns.
- Relief corridors proposed for famine-stricken and battle-ravaged areas.
In an effort to increase humanitarian relief for millions of people and promote an end to the catastrophic violence that started in April 2023, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello made his first trip to the nation on Monday.
Perriello meets Sudanese leaders amid deepening humanitarian crisis
Perriello was the first senior U.S. official to visit Port Sudan, the de facto capital of the army-led administration, since violence broke out between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The United Nations reports that over half of Sudan’s population currently need aid due to the conflict’s severe humanitarian catastrophe and displacement of over 11 million people.
According to a State Department official, “we feel a tremendous amount of urgency to end this crisis and to ensure we can get food, medicine, and life-saving support to the 20 million people in need.”
Perriello visited with tribal and humanitarian leaders as well as Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s army. Expanding assistance distribution and seeking political solutions to end the war were the main topics of discussion. According to the Sudanese sovereign council, the discussion was “lengthy, comprehensive, and frank,” and Burhan accepted a number of recommendations put out by the United States.
Perriello underlined the necessity of stopping the conflict, allowing unimpeded humanitarian access, and advancing Sudan’s transition to civilian authority, according to a State Department release.
According to reuters, though a ceasefire was not achieved during U.S.-mediated negotiations in Geneva earlier this year, both sides pledged to increase humanitarian access as a result of the negotiations.
A crucial relief route for famine-stricken regions in Darfur and Kordofan, the Adre border crossing with Chad was just temporarily opened by Sudan’s sovereign council.
Foreign actors complicate Sudan’s fragile political landscape
Concerns about the increasing participation of foreign actors in the conflict were voiced by the State Department. Russia and Iran are thought to back the RSF, and mercenaries from the Sahel have apparently joined the army.
But during a press conference in Nairobi, RSF Brigadier General Omar Hamdan questioned the army’s dedication. “We will continue to speak to them in the language they can understand because they only listen to the rifle language,” Hamdan stated.
According to reuters, aid attempts have been hampered and Sudan has been devastated by the war, which has its roots in a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a scheduled civilian transition.
Perriello’s visit demonstrates how urgently Washington must handle the situation while working towards a more all-encompassing truce.
