NAIROBI
The appointment on Thursday 6 September of former Senator John Danforth as US special diplomatic envoy for Sudan has been widely welcomed by southern rebels and other interest groups. The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) said on Saturday, 8 September, that it would “cooperate fully” with Danforth in his efforts to mediate between the rebels and the Sudanese government in Khartoum. “We believe that the involvement of the US in the Sudan peace process will invigorate the current peace initiatives and enhance achievement of peace in our country,” SPLM/A spokesman Samson Kwaje said in a statement. The Sudanese government had previously said it would work with the envoy, so long as Danforth’s role was linked to a policy of impartiality and transparency by the American administration, Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma’il stated. The previous US administration [that of former President Bill Clinton] had been part and parcel of the conflict and the continuation of the war, state radio quoted Isma’il as saying.
The Catholic church also welcomed the appointment, saying it was a “positive step” towards peace, AFP reported on Friday, 7 September. “We welcome any new moves for peace and pray for their success and that includes America’s new role in ending the war,” head of the Sudan conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paulino Lukudo Loro, was quoted as saying.
The Canadian oil company, Talisman, which operates in Sudan, said it was “extremely pleased” by the appointment, adding that it could pave the way to improved engagement between the US and Khartoum. “He [Danforth] is well aware of world events and he’s someone who is going to go in with the purpose of trying to solve the situation,” the Canadian ‘Financial Post’ on Friday quoted Talisman Vice-President of Exploration, Edward Bogle, as saying.
Talisman’s operations in Sudan have been criticised by religious and human rights groups, who say the government’s oil revenues have been used to purchase arms and fuel the country’s 18-year civil war. Speaking to the Sudan conference of Catholic Bishops in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi on Friday, Loro urged Kenya not to import oil from Sudan. “As a regional peacemaker, Kenya’s decision to import oil products from the country smacks of insincerity,” said Loro.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions