U.S. and European media

August 3, 2023

NPR: Does Envoy's Approach Hint At U.S. Shift On Sudan? From President Obama on down, the administration is stacked with officials who have talked tough about ending what they have termed "genocide" in the Darfur region of Sudan. That made it all the more surprising this week when the administration's special envoy suggested holding out new carrots for Khartoum. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration suggested it was time to take Sudan off the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that has led to a whole series of sanctions. Activists on Darfur are worried about this seemingly softer approach. The president of the Save Darfur Coalition, Jerry Fowler, says the U.S. should not be manipulated by Sudan. "[The Sudanese] took this incredibly cruel and callous step of expelling humanitarian organizations in March and the process that we've mostly seen since then is them gradually easing up on that," he says. "But it was a crisis they created themselves, and all we are doing is expending a lot of effort to get back to a status quo that was unacceptable and unsustainable in the first place."

Reuters: Darfur rebels, army clash in Sudan oil region. Darfur rebels said on Monday they clashed with Sudan's army in the neighbouring oil-producing region of Southern Kordofan, the latest sign of insurgent efforts to spread their struggle to other parts of Sudan. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said its forces fought off an army ambush around midday on Sunday close to the town of Babanusa, leaving an unknown number dead.

ABC: Human Rights Groups Question Role State Department Nominee Played in Company Active In Sudan. Two human rights groups Monday morning sent a letter to the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioning the pending nomination of a State Department nominee because of his involvement with a company that had ties to the government of Sudan.

Reuters: Clinton says no decision to ease Sudan sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday no decision had been taken to ease some sanctions against Sudan, one day after a senior U.S. official suggested this step might help the peace process. General Scott Gration, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan, told lawmakers on Thursday he did not know of any intelligence to justify Sudan remaining on a list of "state sponsors of terrorism," a designation accompanied by sanctions and restrictions on aid.

AFP: US Envoy Says Sudan Work Hurt By Sanctions. The U.S. special envoy for Sudan on Thursday sharply assailed the country's inclusion on a U.S. terrorism blacklist, saying it triggered painful sanctions that crippled economic development efforts. Scott Gration, a retired U.S. air force general, bluntly told lawmakers " there's no evidence in our intelligence community that supports (Sudan) being on the state sponsors of terrorism. It's a political decision." "The consequences of the sanctions that result from that, and other sanctions, are preventing us from doing the development we absolutely need to do," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . "We need to get more before we give more," said Jerry Fowler, the president of the Save Darfur Coalition.

Christian Science Monitor: Is Darfur still a genocide? White House isn't sure. The Obama administration's internal debate about whether or not the term "genocide" still applies to conditions in Sudan's Darfur region has spilled into public view. President Obama's special envoy to Sudan, Gen. Scott Gration (USAF, retd.), told senators Thursday that the "genocide" label is no longer accurate or helpful. "We are encouraged to hear unequivocally from General Gration that he and the Obama administration are pursuing a balanced approach which includes both carrots and sticks as levers to change Khartoum's behavior," said Save Darfur coalition President Jerry Fowler in a statement. "We are, however, seriously doubtful of Khartoum's true intention and ability to make good on their promises."

Boston Globe: Carrots and sticks for Sudan? President Obama's special envoy to Sudan told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today that US sanctions on the country as a state sponsor of terror is hurting efforts to bring peace and ease suffering in the war-torn nation. "We were encouraged to hear unequivocally from Gen. Gration that he and the Obama administration are pursuing a balanced approach which includes both carrots and sticks as levers to change Khartoum's behavior," Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, said in a statement. "We are, however, seriously doubtful of Khartoum's true intention and ability to make good on their promises, and urge Senators to follow up swiftly with Gen. Gration on the classified details of this plan to ensure that it's sufficiently robust to get the job done."

The Darfur Daily News is a service of the Save Darfur Coalition. To subscribe to the Daily News, please email [email protected]. For media inquiries, please contact Ashley Roberts at (202) 478-6181, or [email protected].