Special Envoy: US Works To Help Sudan Overcome Hurdles With Ethiopia
14 May, 2021
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - The American Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman said his country would continue working with Khartoum to ensure Sudan’s return to the international community and its being a stabilizing factor in the region.
The US Envoy who has just completed his first visit to the region said to this end the administration would work with partners to resolve the great Ethiopian renaissance dam GERD and to resolve the border tension between Khartoum and Addis Ababa as well as any hurdle that would frustrate the nascent democracy in the country current in the transitional stage before converting into full-fledged civilian democracy.
Feltman has described the transitional situation in the Sudan where military and civilian strive to make it work despite differences, as an example to be copied in the region in any similar situation.
He said his country will see to the success of the situation in the country and would help it overcome its differences with Ethiopia over the GERD dam and the borders.
Feltman travelled to each of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia from May 4 to 13, 2021.
A press release by the US Department of state quoted Feltman as saying that the “political transition in Sudan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that can serve as an example for the region.”
It said Special Envoy Feltman underscored to Sudan’s leadership that the United States will continue to support that country’s ongoing transition to democracy so that Sudan can claim its place as a responsible regional actor after three decades as a destabilizing force.
“ We are also committed to working with international partners to facilitate resolution of regional flash points—such as the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and conflict on Sudan’s borders—so they do not undermine the fragile progress made since the revolution” the release stressed
The state department’s lengthy statement said the visit came at a time the Horn of Africa is at an inflection point, and the decisions that are made in the weeks and months ahead will have significant implications for the people of the region as well as for U.S. interests.
It added that The United States is committed to addressing the interlinked regional crises and to supporting a prosperous aTextnd stable Horn of Africa in which its citizens have a voice in their governance and governments are accountable to their citizens.
On Ethiopia the release underlined that sovereign and united Ethiopia is integral to this vision. “Yet we are deeply concerned about increasing political and ethnic polarization throughout the country. The atrocities being perpetrated in Tigray and the scale of the humanitarian emergency are unacceptable.”
It said The United States will work with its international allies and partners to secure a ceasefire, “end this brutal conflict”, provide the life-saving assistance that is so urgently needed, and hold those responsible for human rights abuses and violations accountable. It stated that the crisis in Tigray is also symptomatic of a broader set of national challenges that have imperiled meaningful reforms.
“As Special Envoy Feltman discussed with Prime Minister Abiy and other Ethiopian leaders, these challenges can most effectively be addressed through an inclusive effort to build national consensus on the country’s future that is based on respect for the human and political rights of all Ethiopians.” It underlined.
The presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia is antithetical to these goals.
In Asmara, Special Envoy Feltman underscored to President Isaias Afwerki the imperative that Eritrean troops withdraw from Ethiopia immediately.
On the GERD dam the release said the Special Envoy Feltman discussed with leaders in Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Khartoum, Egypt and Sudan’s concerns over water security and the safety and operation of the dam can be reconciled with Ethiopia’s development needs through substantive and results-oriented negotiations among the parties under the leadership of the African Union, which must resume urgently.
“ We believe that the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by the parties and the July 2020 statement by the AU Bureau are important foundations for these negotiations, and the United States is committed to providing political and technical support to facilitate a successful outcome.” It assured.
The release said the Special Envoy will return to the region in short order to continue an intensive diplomatic effort on behalf of President Biden and Secretary Blinken.
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