Advocacy Groups Call for U.S. Officials To Hold Sudan Accountable To Clear Benchmarks

Last Friday key members of the National Security Council's deputies committee met for the first quarterly review of the Obama administration's policy on Sudan. In the lead up to the meeting, the Sudan Now advocacy coalition ran advertisements in the Washington Post and Politico calling on the five deputies - Erica Barks-Ruggles, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Deputy Representative; Tom Donilon, Deputy National Security Adviser; Michèle Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence; and Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State - to lead multilateral efforts to hold those who promote violence in Sudan accountable, and to deploy U.S. diplomatic teams to the region in order to accelerate peace efforts. Click here to see the ads and to learn more about the role of the deputies committee. Enough also sent an open letter to the deputies urging them to recommend to their superiors and to President Obama a course of action marked by deeper diplomatic engagement, and a stronger effort to build a multilateral coalition of countries willing to impose consequences on those who undermine peace in Sudan. Read the letter here.

Yesterday Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, warned of an increased flow of weaponry into southern Sudan and noted the 'sophistication and lethality of the weapons’ seen in clashes. This strong message from Ambassador Rice suggests that the Obama administration, as reflected in the deliberations of the deputies, is increasingly concerned about the situation on the ground in Sudan ahead of April's national elections and the referendum a year from now. Click here to read Enough's statement on Ambassador Rice's comments. 

While the deputies meeting marked the beginning of the Obama adminstration's offical review process, the administration has not publicly disclosed precisely what benchmarks it is applying to assess progress in Sudan. In a strategy paper released last week, Enough and eight other Sudan advocacy groups provide benchmarks aimed to provide guidance for how officials, concerned citizens, and others in the international community can assess progress toward lasting peace in Sudan. Read "Clear Benchmarks for Sudan" here.  

Click here to take action by contacting your members of Congress to ask them to request a meeting with the deputies for a full report on the implementation of the Obama administration's Sudan policy.

[Photo credit: USUN]