Molly Catherine Phee, a career diplomat, is President Biden’s nominee to become his U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. (Credit USIP.org)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee is traveling to Sudan this week in support of the Sudanese-led process to resolve the crisis following the October 2021 military takeover, the Department of State said. While in Sudan, Assistant Secretary Phee will meet with a wide range of Sudanese stakeholders and political actors and urge them to seize the opportunity offered by the UN-AU-IGAD-facilitated process to restore the transition to democracy and economic stability, and to advance peace, according to the State Department. Phee arrived in Sudan Sunday June 5 at the start of her four-day visit.
“The United States is committed to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people”
-Statement of Office of the Spokesperson, Department of State
This is the third visit Assistant Secretary Phee has made to Sudan
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariam al-Mahdi to show U.S. support for the Sudan civilian-led transitional government in Khartoum Nov. 15, 2021. (twitter.comusembassykrt)
Assistant Secretary of State Phee traveled on her first trip to the Horn of Africa in her new position last November going to Sudan to show U.S. support for the civilian-led transitional government in Khartoum. In October, the U.S. Senate confirmed ambassador Phee, a career Foreign Service member, as President Biden’s top diplomat in Africa. Phee was most recently the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. Prior to this, Phee served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan from 2015-2017 under President Obama. And in January 2022, Phee and newly appointed Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield traveled to Sudan to meet with pro-democracy activists, women and youth groups, civil society, military leaders, and political figures. Ambassador Phee is now on her third trip to Sudan, but peace remains elusive in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.
Ambassador Mike Hammer Appointed as New U.S. Special Envoy For The Horn of Africa
U.S. Ambassador Mike Hammer Will Serve as U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (cd.usembassy.gov)
Ambassador Michael “Mike” Hammer, current U.S. ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been selected to succeed Ambassador David Satterfield as U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, the Department of State announced last week. Satterfield will step down from his role before summer after less than seven months on the job. Satterfield had replaced Jeffrey Feltman as the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. Feltman was initially set to take on his diplomatic role for less than a year, according to the Department of State.
Many are questioning the commitment of the U.S. to the Horn of Africa as two of its Envoys have departed during the past year alone while the region remains a hot-bed of political instability and military conflict.
Ethiopia has been embroiled in a year-long bloody conflict that reportedly has killed thousands of people, displaced millions, and created starvation for hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians. Sudan, which borders Ethiopia, is also in chaos with the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Neighboring Somalia has been wracked by civil war since 1991, and terror organization Al-Shabab continues to conduct attacks in the country.
Sudan has been in political turmoil since an October military coup derailed its transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by dictator Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir and his Islamist-backed government were removed in a popular uprising in April 2019.
