It's on the WC7 list: A New Presidential Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan

Grant T. Harris

August 28, 201302:30 PM EDT

President Barack Obama meets with Ambassador Donald Booth, Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, in the Oval Office, Aug. 28, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama appointed Ambassador Donald Booth as the new U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.  A former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zambia, and Liberia, Ambassador Booth is one of our most experienced diplomats and has extensive experience promoting peace and prosperity across the African continent.  He is seasoned, determined, and deeply committed to pursuing peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan.

Ambassador Booth joins our Sudan and South Sudan team at a critical time.  Working closely with the African Union and our other international partners, he will play a vital role in urging Sudan and South Sudan to make progress on resolving outstanding issues, including the status of the disputed region of Abyei.  He will continue U.S. efforts to press for a peaceful and definitive end to the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile as part of a holistic solution to Sudan’s human rights, humanitarian, and governance crises.  And he will urge South Sudan to stay focused on protecting its people, meeting their needs, and realizing their aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future. 

As the President told Ambassador Booth today during their meeting in the Oval Office, supporting peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan remains a priority for this Administration.  As Ambassador Booth carries forward this important work on behalf of the United States, he does so with the President's full support.

Read the President’s statement.

Learn more about Ambassador Booth.

Grant T. Harris is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/28/new-presidential-envoy-sudan-and-south-sudan