WASHINGTON (CN) — Nearly a year after the outbreak of hostilities and with violence worsening, the Biden administration has appointed a special diplomatic envoy to lead the U.S. approach to the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that Tom Perriello — who served one term representing central Virginia in the House of Representatives — for the role to advance efforts to end fighting, secure humanitarian aid and “support the Sudanese people as they seek to fulfill their aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice.”
“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,” Blinken said in a statement. “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.”
Special envoys are the personal representatives of the secretary of state appointed to give sustained, high-level attention to particular regions or issues. There are a few dozen currently serving on topics ranging from Iran and Syria to global youth issues and international disability rights.
“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,” Blinken said.
Fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary on the cusp of a Western-brokered transition to democracy in April 2023, ostensibly over the integration of the paramilitary into the army.
The conflict has spiraled out of control in the past 10 months, decimating the capital Khartoum and spreading to other regions.
Of growing concern is the widespread deliberate targeting of civilians in Darfur, where at least 2.3 million people have been displaced. The paramilitary forces controls most of that area because it evolved out of the janjaweed Arab militias recruited to brutally suppress an uprising that resulted in the infamous Darfur genocide, which generated a worldwide outcry in the mid-2000s. Aid organizations have raised the alarm that the RSF’s targeting of civilians could lead to a renewal the region’s genocide.
This will be Perriello’s second stint as a special envoy in Africa. Former President Barack Obama in 2015 appointed him special envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, serving as a representative to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. That work charged him with supporting democratic societies and preventing mass atrocities.
Perriello most recently served four years as executive director of Open Society Foundations, which supports civil society organizations around the world.
“In 2018, the people of Sudan inspired us all with a peaceful revolution that promised a stable, inclusive, and democratic Sudan,” Perriello posted on X, formerly Twitter. “With [the] support of [President Joe] Biden & [Secretary Blinken], we will work tirelessly to ensure that promise once again becomes real for this and future generations.”
After a popular uprising led to the 2019 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, an authoritarian ruler who held power for 30 years, the RSF and SAF shared power with civilians in a transitional government. But in 2021, the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF, controlled by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, ousted the civilians.
Refugees International also welcomed Perriello’s appointment, saying he brings “a wealth of diplomatic, atrocity prevention and human rights experience to the role.”
“The appointment of Perriello as the envoy is a positive and essential step,” the organization said in a statement to Courthouse News. “But to succeed, he will need the full backing of the White House. President Biden must speak out about Sudan and provide the envoy with all necessary support to fulfill his challenging mandate.”
Kate Hixon, advocacy director for Africa with Amnesty International, applauded the appointment, which the organization has been calling on for months.
“With a special envoy in place it is vital that the US take a whole of government approach to protecting civilians in Sudan,” she wrote online. “It is vital that the US listen to all key actors on a way forward including civilians and human rights defenders not just elite actors.”
The announcement comes a few days after the State Department condemned the Sudanese Army for prohibiting humanitarian assistance to enter the country from Chad.
Roughly 25 million people in the country of about 48 million people need humanitarian assistance. Activists have decried the meager flow of funds and supplies, which are partially hampered by obstruction, but are largely falling short because of less international attention compared to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The army’s action was supposedly taken to block aid from reaching RSF-controlled areas. Meanwhile, the RSF and army have moved to restrict internet and cell phone access in the country.
“We unequivocally condemn these acts, as well as pervasive rape, torture and other reprehensible violations against Sudanese civilians,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said on Friday. “Sudanese civilians must be free to organize themselves to establish a civilian government that truly represents the Sudanese people.”
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