New Special Envoy for Sudan Appointed by Obama

Human Rights First welcomes the appointment of retired Air Force General Scott Gration as President Obama's special envoy for Sudan. The organization has been pressing for the appointment of a special envoy since President Obama arrived to office. We hope that Mr. Gration’s mandate is able to address issues related to Sudan in Chad and the Central African Republic; without such a mandate his work will be compromised. The issues Mr. Gration must address with urgency include:
- Pressing the Government of Sudan to reinstate the thirteen aid organizations it expelled and three national agencies it dissolved in Sudan;
- Ensuring that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan gets back on track;
- Helping to facilitate the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur—called UNAMID—and enhancing its impact on the ground;
- Supporting the Darfur peace process being headed by UN-AU joint chief mediator Djibril Bassole.