The US has appointed a new ambassador to Sudan at a time when its special envoy to the Horn of Africa is meeting Sudanese civic society in Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn, a career diplomat with extensive experience in West Africa will take charge of the US foreign service in Khartoum.
She arrives at a time when the US was seeking to encourage a transition from military rule back to civilian governance.
In a statement, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said Tamlyn would be there on a temporary basis although at a critical time.
He said: “I am sending Ambassador Tamlyn to Khartoum during this critical juncture in Sudan’s democratic transition with the full confidence of Washington behind her. Ambassador Tamlyn will serve in this role pending the nomination and confirmation of a US ambassador to Sudan.”
Tamlyn had, in the past, served as the Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and as US Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and then to the Central African Republic.
Blinken said the top priority for Tamlyn would be, “in partnering with Sudanese actors to achieve a democratic transition and to fulfil the aspirations of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice”.
“The new United States envoy to the Horn of Africa, David Satterfield, and Assistant Secretary Molly Phee will this Friday meet “Friends of Sudan”, a group pushing for a return to a transitional authority.
“While in Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], Assistant Secretary Phee and Special Envoy Satterfield will attend a meeting of the Friends of Sudan, intended to marshal international support for the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission to Sudan (UNITAMS) in its efforts to facilitate a renewed civilian-led transition to democracy,” said a statement from the US Department of State.
The meeting in Saudi Arabia would then be followed by a visit to Sudan by the Special Envoy to engage all actors and stakeholders in the Sudan political crisis.
“Following the Friends of Sudan meeting, the Assistant Secretary and Special Envoy will travel to Khartoum where they will meet with pro-democracy activists, women and youth groups, civil society, military leaders, and political figures. Their message will be clear: the United States is committed to freedom, peace, and justice for the Sudanese people,” said the press office.
Despite a crackdown on civil liberties by the military, civilians in their thousands are taking to the streets to protest against the October 2021 coup. At least three protesters were killed on Monday during a march to the presidential palace in Khartoum.
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