Sudan Policy Review Released

Published October 19, 2009 @ 08:02AM PT

This morning, the Obama Administration released their policy for Sudan at a press conference at the State Department. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and Sudan Special Envoy Scott Gration discussed the policy and answered questions from the press.

The State Department released a paper, "Sudan: A Critical Moment, A Comprehensive Approach," and a statement that outline the strategy. The paper states:

The United States has a clear obligation to the Sudanese people -- both in our role as witness to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and as the first country that unequivocally identified events in Darfur as genocide – to help lead an international effort.

The White House also released a statement, saying in part:

Our conscience and our interests in peace and security call upon the United States and the international community to act with a sense of urgency and purpose. First, we must seek a definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses and genocide in Darfur. Second, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South in Sudan must be implemented to create the possibility of long-term peace. These two goals must both be pursued simultaneously with urgency. Achieving them requires the commitment of the United States, as well as the active participation of international partners. Concurrently, we will work aggressively to ensure that Sudan does not provide a safe-haven for international terrorists.

Initial reaction has been coming in from activists and concerned citizens via Twitter, on the Save Darfur Coalition's blog, and on the Enough Project's blog.

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Author

Martha is the campaign manager at the Save Darfur Coalition. She has worked with a number of organizations and institutions advocating against genocide, including Team Darfur, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition and Voices for Sudan. The views expressed here are her own.