Credit: Wikipedia /  U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The U.S. top diplomat for Africa Tibor Nagy warned that if a peaceful resolution to the political strife in Sudan is not quickly found, the Horn of Africa nation could become another Libya or Somalia. 

“We could end up with the type of chaos that exists in Libya or Somalia and the last thing Egypt wants is another Libya on its southern border.  The last thing Ethiopia wants is another Somalia on its northwestern border.”

–U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy stated June 14, 2019 Addis Ababa 

Ambassador Nagy made the comments during a teleconference with journalists Friday at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa,   ETHIOPIA.    He was joined by  joined by ambassador Donald Booth, the newly appointed  U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan.  Nagy and Booth met with the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FCC) the previous day on Thursday in Sudan’s capital city Khartoum and expressed support for the need to accelerate a civilian-led transitional government amid deadly violence that has gripped the Horn of Africa nation. Nagy and Booth were visiting Khartoum to encourage a transition to democracy two months after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir.  Sudan’s capital has been on lock down since last week as paramilitary groups dismantle the many sit-in protest sites that have sprouted as Sudanese people call for an end to the military-led government. Dozens of civilians have been killed, including 19 children.  Ambassador Nagy gave an update on the visit to Sudan and the U.S. role in the Horn of Africa nation.

U.S. Calls For Independent Investigation into “Horrific Violence”  in Sudan June 3, 2019 

Credit: Wikipedia /  By M.Saleh – /  Sudanese protesters chanting near Army Headquarters in Khartoum capital December 2018.

 “The United States of America seeks a civilian-led government at the end of this transition which is acceptable to the Sudanese people.,”  Ambassador Nagy stated.    “From our point of view, we mentioned that the events of June 3^rd constituted a 180 degree turn in the way events were going with murder, rape, pillaging, by members of the Security Forces,” Nagy added.  In the June 3 attack on the peaceful “sit-in”,    more more than 100 civilians were killed.    According to media reports, witnesses to the attack in Khartoum spoke of soldiers shooting indiscriminately, throwing bodies of slain protesters into the Nile, and raping two of the medics at the sit-in.

“The United States of America believes very strongly that there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible, and I will underline those terms independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing these egregious events.  As I said, we spoke to some of the victims, including an American citizen who was shot, and the accounts were harrowing and very persuasive,” ambassador Nagy. 

The U.S. envoy noted that the African Union had called for the formation of a transitional process  by June 30^th, “and that’s coming up fairly quickly.   We also have to point out, and I don’t really have details, but it’s obvious that on both sides there are spoilers.  The sides have come close several times to an agreement, and each time that was abrogated by some force or other.  So there are spoilers out there that both sides have to be careful of who have no interest in seeing this process succeed.”

The ambassador stated there are possible scenarios out of all of this.  One is positive, which is the desired outcome.  There’s agreement on a transition process.  The transition process proceeds.  And at the end of it there is that civilian-led government that is acceptable to the Sudanese people.

Credit: Wikipedia / The seven-member Transitional Military Council (TMC) is led by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan. A council of generals assumed power on 11 April but it has struggled to return normality to the country.

  Nagy said there are some possible scenarios which would be very negative including, the return of the old regime.  “That is something else that from our discussions nobody wants.”   Sudanese are skeptical that the new military coalition will protect the democratic aspirations of people.  The sentiment in post-al-Bashir Sudan is that the military coalition that overthrew the autocratic leader is not part of the original grass-root protest movement.

“Another negative scenario would be continuation of the TMC.  We basically positively reinforce both sides in not pursuing a unilateral solution, i.e., the TMC unilaterally trying to organize elections which would be very difficult to prove credible by anybody in the region.  I do mean anybody.  Or by the  FFC unilaterally trying to establish a government.  Both of those would be extremely negative.” 

Ambassador Nagy  emphasized the U.S. will engage bilaterally. He stated he is believes the  the international community is united in wanting the outcome of a civilian-led government in Sudan that will ultimately  meet the desires of the Sudanese people.

“And I keep underlining the Sudanese people, the Sudanese people, the Sudanese people, because this is what they want.  This is what they deserve after 35 years of a dictatorship,”  – U.S.  Ambassador Nagy.

Ambassador Nagy has spent most of his 40-year foreign service career working in Africa or on African issues. He was nominated May 2018 to lead the Bureau of African Affairs in the State Department.  Nagy has been stationed in Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Guinea, and in Ethiopia, as the ambassador in Addis Ababa.

United Nations  Debates The Situation in Sudan and South Sudan 

Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe.  June 14, 2019.  Omer Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Sudan to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan at UN world headquarters in New York.