US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The US has scrapped the position of its special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan.
US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a statement posted on the official
website Tuesday, said the move was meant to improve the ability of the
Department of State and USAid to achieve critical foreign policy goals
that were currently the responsibility of special envoys.
Mr
Tillerson requested the Congress to repeal the statutory provision for
the position of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, saying the
Deputy Assistant Secretary in African Affairs could handle all the
responsibilities.
As per the changes proposed by the
State Department, a special envoy or representative shall no longer be
required to handle South Sudan and Sudan docket, the statement
explained.
Was killed
The Secretary of State said a senior official shall conduct the diplomacy if an issue arose requiring a high-level interaction.
The
pronouncement comes just days after a US journalist, Mr Christopher
Allen, was killed while covering clashes between rebels and government
forces in South Sudan's Kaya town last Saturday.
It remains unclear whether the US action was prompted by the killing of Mr Allen.
Disputed region
According
to the State Department, the position of the Special Envoy for Sudan
and South Sudan was created to push for an end to the crisis in the
latter, by supporting the implementation of the Agreement on the
Resolution of the Conflict, calling on parties to adhere to the
permanent ceasefire and supporting efforts to ensure development,
justice, and reconciliation.
It was also established to
press for an end to the internal conflict in Sudan's Darfur, Southern
Kordofan and Blue Nile states, as part of a holistic solution to the
country's human rights, humanitarian, and governance crises.
President
Barack Obama appointed Mr Donald Booth in 2013 to also urge Sudan and
South Sudan to resolve the outstanding issues, including the status of
the disputed region of Abyei.
Mr Booth left office last January at the end of the Obama administration.
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