WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday named retired air force general Scott Gration as his special envoy to Sudan to confront the worsening humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
“General Gration’s personal and professional background, and his service to the country as both a military leader and a humanitarian, give him the insights and experience necessary for this assignment,” Obama said in a statement.
“Sudan is a priority for this administration, particularly at a time when it cries out for peace and for justice,” he said in a statement citing the “worsening humanitarian crisis there.”
The announcement comes as the United States ratchets up pressure on Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir following his expulsion of international aid groups from Darfur that worsened the humanitarian crisis.
“The government of Sudan’s disastrous decision to expel humanitarian relief organizations leaves a void that will be filled by deprivation and despair and they will be held accountable for the lives lost,” Obama’s statement said.
A former fighter pilot and personal friend of Obama’s, Gration sometimes traveled with Obama on the campaign trail.
He is a Swahili speaker with an expertise in Africa issues and is well-versed in the operational requirements of training peacekeepers and of airlift capabilities.
The Washington DC-based Save Darfur Coalition of some 180 faith-based and advocacy groups welcomed the selection of Gration, calling on him to begin at once to agitate for peace and human rights in the region.
“General Gration will need to hit the ground running and spearhead an urgent and sustained diplomatic push — involving China and key African and Arab countries — to establish unimpeded humanitarian access, hold President Beshir accountable for meeting Sudan’s obligation under international law to protect the lives of Sudanese civilians and move toward lasting peace,” coalition president Jerry Fowler said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Beshir, who is accused of masterminding a campaign of extermination, rape and pillage during the six-year conflict in Darfur.
Beshir faces five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes. In response, Beshir has said Sudan wants no foreign aid organizations on the ground within a year, and that Sudanese organizations will replace them.
According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in February 2003.
Sudan puts the death toll from the six-year conflict at 10,000.
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