Special Envoy to Sudan Speaks to Senate Foreign Relations Committee

U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration spoke before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, July 30. He criticized Sudan's inclusion on the U.S. terrorism blacklist, saying that there was no evidence to back it up and calling it "a political decision." He also said that it prompted economic sanctions that hindered development.

"At some point we're going to have to  unwind some of these sanctions so that we can do the very things we need to do," Gration said, citing bans on road-building equipment and computer equipment useful for education purposes as "actually hurting the very development" needed to help South Sudan.

Many activist groups responded by saying that the Khartoum government would need to do more before earning such concessions. "We need to get more before we give more," said Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition. John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project, agreed, saying, "I don't think we we have seen behavior that deserves such a reward." These sentiments have been echoed by representatives of South Sudan, said Sam Bell, Executive Director of the Genocide Intervention Network, adding that "there's a huge disconnect."

Gration assured that President Obama's strategy "includes both incentives and pressures," and said that full policy details would be revealed "within the next few weeks."

Gration had also recently caused a stir by saying that the situtation in Darfur was no longer a "genocide," but rather reflected "the remnants of a genocide." He did not reverse these statements on Thursday, saying that "there's a significant difference between what happened in 2004 and 2003, which we characterized as genocide, and what is happening today."

The U.S. is trying to help Sudan fully apply a peace accord negotiated in 2005 that will end a 22-year-long civil conflict between the north and the south. The treaty will face a crucial test with the Sudanese national elections in February and a subsequent referendum on South Sudan's self-determination. "Our timeline is so very short," Gration said, noting that he was hopeful but calling the efforts "almost mission impossible."

For the full transcript and testimonies of the hearing, click here.