Obama Chooses Sudan Envoy – Enough Project

By Laura Heaton, Enough Project, 18 March 2009

The AP and Reuters are reporting that President Obama has tapped retired Air Force General Scott Gration as the U.S. envoy to Sudan. According to reports, the president will likely make an official announcement tomorrow.

A Newsweek profile of Gen. Gration from earlier this year looks at his close ties to the president, forged during a 15-day tour of Africa last August. The son of missionary parents, Gen. Gration grew up in the Congo and speaks fluent Swahili.

Gration spoke at the DNC Convention in Denver last summer. His official Air Force Bio is here.

Also see this article from the New York Times.

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U.S. to appoint special envoy for Sudan in coming days

By Sue Pleming, Reuters, 17 March 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will be responsible for “every single death” caused by the expulsion of 13 foreign aid groups from Sudan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday.

“This is a horrendous situation that is going to cause untold misery and suffering for the people of Darfur, particularly those in the refugee camps,” Clinton said of Sudan‘s decision to expel the aid groups earlier this month.

“The real question is what kind of pressure can be brought to bear on President Bashir and the government in Khartoum to understand that they will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in those camps,” she told reporters.

Clinton added that the United States planned to appoint a special envoy for Sudan in the coming days, following the tradition set by the Bush administration.

Read more.

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