US envoy Perriello on Sudan humanitarian crisis: ‘There’s much, much work to be done…’

The US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, has described his meetings with Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, his deputy Malik Agar, civil society leaders, and United Nations humanitarian team officials in Port Sudan as “constructive”. He also describes Russia’s veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities in the country “heartbreaking”. He has also assured the Sudanese people of continued support from Washington, as the US administration changes.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga today, Periello says: “It was really special to get to be on the ground and meet with people, including representatives from civil society and tribal leaders and hear their continued hopes for an end to this war and end to the atrocities”.

As reported by Radio Dabanga today, Perriello, visited Port Sudan on Monday, where he held what he described as “fruitful” meetings with Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, his deputy Malik Agar, civil society leaders, and United Nations humanitarian team officials.

His visit yesterday came as Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities in the country. Perriello was supposed to arrive in Port Sudan on Sunday but was delayed by a day due to “logistical problems,” according to the Sudan News Agency.

“We had an important day yesterday where I was able to visit Port Sudan, which I know meant a great deal to the people of Sudan,” says Perriello. “I’ve had an opportunity over the last year to hear from thousands of Sudanese who are in the refugee community and in refugee camps, and I’ve met with many Sudanese inside Sudan through zoom and other means. But it was really special to get to be on the ground and meet with people, including representatives from civil society and tribal leaders and hear their continued hopes for an end to this war and end to the atrocities,” he says.

Highlighting that the USA is “the top humanitarian donor by far, both to Sudanese inside Sudan, who’ve had to flee and to refugees,” Perriello says “we have been very eager to make sure that those contributions are reaching the people in need in all 18 states of Sudan, and we’ve had some important progress recently and are getting more food and medicine out even to those in areas quite isolated like around Kadugli and even El Gezira state after these horrific atrocities. And we think more needs to be done.”

Perriello says that he and his delegation had constructive meetings yesterday about “how get more food and medicine to more parts of Sudan, as well as how we bring this war to an end and restore the people’s aspirations to having control of their own destiny through a civilian democratic governance… but there’s much, much work to be done with the horrors that face so many of our brothers and sisters in Sudan.”

Perriello points out that in his meetings with Sudanese stakeholders it has become very clear that “people want the urgency of making sure food and medicine is reaching folks, wanting to make sure this war comes to an end and get back on the path to civilian government, and in terms of results in recent weeks and confirmed yesterday, we now have multiple route in for food and medicine from Port Sudan.”

Perriello says that the USA now has flights approved to six different parts of Sudan, “and we’ve seen active delivery of aid and a couple of those areas, including Kadugli. We need those. To continue and expand, we’ve seen an increase in volume about a 50 per cent increase in the amount of food and medicine that’s moving out of Port Sudan, where things have been stuck and moving very slowly. We appreciate that that’s starting to increase. We’ve also seen some significant deliveries to some of the most isolated parts of the Darfur region as well.”

‘What we need to see is all 18 states treated as a priority, and we need to work on ways to get food even in the areas where the fighting is very, very bad…’

“We know it’s more complicated, but we’ve made clear to the authorities that we can work on humanitarian corridors and pauses. We can work on creative ways to make sure that even in the areas of fighting, we can get food and medicine and even vaccines people. So we want to make sure that we’re continuing do so, particularly in some of those hard hit areas like El Gezira and Khartoum.

‘We want to see a new sense of urgency about finding a resolution to this war…’

“Right now that need to see that kind of response from the humanitarian community and we stand ready to support it on the peace process. Right now we support the need for the warring parties to come together, but also for the people of Sudan to be heard on the need to bring this war to a resolution and to restore that transition to civilian authority, right now, we do see fighting intensifying at great cost, first and foremost of the Sudanese people, but also a great cost to the region as we continue to see refugees spill over and concerns about a more ethnic dynamic to this war and a more regional dynamic to this war. So we wanted to communicate to sovereign Council President Burhan and others that we want to see a new sense of urgency about finding a resolution to this war in the United States? Certainly an active party ready to support that effort. And again, the restoration not just at the end of the war, but what we hope is going to be the last war Sudan has to fight because we addressed some of the issues that the Sudanese people have wanted to address for so long.”

‘Russia veto Heartbreaking’

Responding to describes Russia’s veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to hostilities in the country, Perriello says: “It was just heartbreaking to see. I can’t imagine how painful it was for the Sudanese people to see.

“Russia playing games in that way with something that was calling for a national ceasefire and for the expansion of humanitarian aid. Clearly, the United States stands with the Sudanese people through our extensive humanitarian contributions. Our pushes for peace and the leadership of Ambassador Thomas Greenfield at the Security Council. There was broad unity across African and global partners on the need for greater attention on Sudan, greater support and solidarity with the Sudanese people, and it’s unfortunate that Russia chose to send a very different signal.”

‘We have tremendous support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, including the person who will probably be the chairman of the Senate…’

“One of the things that I’ve heard over and over again from the Sudanese people is this end of being ignored by the world. That the world is not seeing the horrific rape and starvation and violence on a daily basis. Where is the world’s attention? And I think they appreciate that the United States is one of the few countries that has been focused on this. And that’s not just President Biden, we have tremendous support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, including the person who will probably be the chairman of the Senate… I think we’re seeing more of it at the United Nations from a broader set of partners and it will definitely not end with yesterday, but it did show the Sudanese people, I think, who stands with them at this time of trouble.”

Speaking on his future role with the impending changes to the US administration, Perriello assures Radio Dabanga that he will remain active in Sudan.

“I will remain active on Sudan. I have been for 20 years. I have a love affair with the Sudanese people and it was wonderful to be able to be in Port Sudan yesterday. I would love to be able to spend more time on the ground and that will never change. Second, the United States has a deep commitment to Sudan and the Sudanese people. That is true across Republican and Democratic administrations. It’s true in both the House of Representatives, where I used to serve and in the Senate.

“So there’s just an enormous outpouring of love and commitment to that for the Sudanese people. And I think that will continue. I cannot speak for the next President and what he will choose what to do, but I do know that there are many people in his party and around him who have a long history with Sudan. And so it is my hope and my expectation that we will see that partnership continue, and I will certainly stand ready in whatever capacity, including as a citizen of the United States and as a human being, who cares deeply about the suffering we’ve seen in Sudan and inspired by attention to remain involved,” Perriello concludes.