How US envoy enabled a new level of diplomacy in war- ravaged Darfur

In April last year, just two weeks after President Barack Obama appointed him the US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration arrived in the country for his maiden tour in that capacity.

But Gration was already laying down the broad lines of what would, months later, become Obama’s official policy document on Sudan.

The objective of the trip, Gration said, was to look, listen and learn.

“I come here with no illusions, with no preconceived ideas and no solutions,” the envoy said after a meeting with Sudan officials.

“And I come here with my hands open; it will be up to the Sudanese government to determine how they want to continue with that relationship; hopefully it will be with a hand of friendship, a hand of co-operation and one that will help us move ahead, because like all my American colleagues, ana ahib Sudan (I love Sudan).”

Later that July, Gration told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“To achieve our goals, we must also engage Sudan’s neighbours and the international community.”

He said it was the reason he had travelled to Chad, China, Egypt, France, Libya, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom to meet leaders who shared that concern and were ready to work together towards shared objectives.

“We are working with Libya and Egypt to end the long- standing proxy war between Chad and Sudan, that has fired up further conflict,” said Gration.

In mid February this year, Gration returned to Sudan and had something to take home: A peace agreement between President Omar al Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby.

And days later, Darfur’s rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a ceasefire deal with Khartoum.

Chad, apparently, played a significant role in the Darfur rebels- Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) deal.

In a statement, Philip Crowley, the assistant secretary of the US Bureau of Public Affairs said: “The US acknowledged the substantial efforts made by Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno and his government in facilitating this accord.”

But according to insiders within the rebel movements, the deal was done in spite of Gration.

“The deal was initiated by Chad,” Abdullahi el-Tomi, a JEM official said. “The US has no role in it and in some ways is antagonistic to it. Gration is not happy that his own group (Road Map Group) was not included.”