WASHINGTON, US
The United States will
appoint a new special envoy for Sudan on Monday, as Washington seeks
to bring an end to a war that has wrecked parts of the country and
killed tens of thousands of people.
Former diplomat and U.S.
member of Congress Tom Perriello will assume the special envoy role, U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement provided to Reuters ahead
of the announcement, as the U.S. seeks to bring increased focus to the conflict
after the failure of talks so far.
In a statement, Perriello said
he will build on efforts of partners across Africa and the Middle East to bring
an end to the war, a humanitarian crisis and atrocities.
"This appointment
reflects the urgency and importance President Biden and Secretary Blinken have
placed on ending this war, putting a stop to rampant atrocities against
civilians, and preventing an already horrific humanitarian situation from
becoming a catastrophic famine," Perriello said.
The U.S. Ambassador to Sudan
John Godfrey has left his role, Blinken said in the statement.
Daniel Rubinstein will serve
as interim charge d'affaires as director of the Office of Sudan Affairs,
Blinken said. He will be based in Ethiopia.
War broke out in Sudan last
April over disputes about the powers of the army and the Rapid Support Forces
(RSF) under an internationally-backed plan for a political transition towards
civilian rule and elections.
The army and the RSF had
shared power with civilians after the fall of former leader Omar al-Bashir in a
popular uprising in 2019, before staging a coup two years later.
The fighting has wrecked parts
of Sudan including the capital Khartoum, killed more than 13,000 people
according to U.N. estimates, drawn warnings of famine, and created an internal
displacement crisis.
The Rapid Support Forces are
accused by the U.S. of participating in an ethnic cleansing campaign in West
Darfur, along with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The army, which has carried
out a widespread airstrike campaign, is also accused of war crimes by the U.S.
Perriello previously served as
special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa and the Democratic Republic
of Congo, and as a U.S. representative from Virginia.
Rubinstein recently led the
U.S. delegation at talks on Sudan in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Neither side
maintained commitments made in the talks.
The U.S. military evacuated
American government personnel from Khartoum in April last year and suspended
operations at its embassy there after fighting between Sudan's rival commanders
broke out.
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