Breaking News: Obama Appoints Darfur Envoy

categories: Darfur & Sudan, Obama Administration

Published March 17, 2009 @ 06:11PM PT

From the AP (thanks to Martha for the tip off):

Source: Ex-Air Force pilot picked as Sudan envoy

1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior administration official says President Barack Obama has chosen retired Air Force Gen. J. Scott Gration to be a special envoy to war-wracked Sudan.

Gration is a close personal friend of Obama and has considerable experience on African issues.

The administration official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Gration is the pick of both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The announcement was being made Wednesday.

Gration was an adviser to Obama during his presidential campaign on a range of military and national security issues. He is also an expert on Africa who was partly raised on the continent and is fluent in Swahili.

In 2006 he accompanied then-Sen. Obama on a trip to Africa.

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Comments (2)

To be more specific, Maj. Gen. Gration was not just partly raised in Africa -- he was partly raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during their civil war in the 1960s, the violence from which caused both he and his family to become refugees for a brief period of time.

Between his own personal history and his close relationship with Obama, this is a striking appointment. (Full disclosure: I met him a couple of times -- he's simultaneously a very impressive and very humble individual.)

Posted by Timothy Foley on 03/18/2009 @ 11:05AM PT
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Thanks for your insights, Tim!

Posted by Michelle . on 03/18/2009 @ 12:14PM PT
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Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.