August 29, 2016(Nyamilepedia) — The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Ambassador Donald Booth, is currently in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for a visit that is expected to last until September 1st.
The hardly announced visit is expected to cover special official meetings in Khartoum. In addition, Special Envoy Booth, who arrived in Khartoum yesterday, is expected to proceed to Blue Nile today, on August 29th.
Like in his visit to Darfur recently between July 26th and 28th, Special Envoy Booth plans to engage with politicians in Blue Nile State who are affected by conflict.
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According to US foreign policy report, Booth will meet with Sudanese government officials, civil society groups, community leaders, and the staff of international organizations.
The Envoy is expected to lead open discussions and unimpeded exchanges with all the concern parties in Sudan.
During this visit, Booth is also expected to meet the South Sudan’s armed opposition party leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the First Vice President, who was forced out of a recently formed Transitional  Government of National Unity in Juba in July this year.
To the international community, Machar’s silence and absence from Juba remains a time ticking bomb mystery that has to be contained before it returns the country to a full-scale war.
At the beginning of 2014, Special Envoy Booth was the first American diplomat to travel to the bushes of South Sudan’s Upper Nile region to meet with Machar to assure him of TROIKA’s commitment to resolve South Sudan conflict through a negotiated Peace Agreement.
Despite that a Peace Agreement was negotiated and signed by the main principles in August last year, no meaningful progress has been made for over a year, which is now forcing the United States to rethink its options.
While visiting Kenya, Secretary John Kerry gave financial assistance and political assurance to help South Sudan ends its conflict but warns that the political process has to be re-invigorated and reforms have to be implemented in that country
“The overriding need in South Sudan is to re-invigorate an inclusive political process and to implement the reforms that are set out in the agreed-upon peace process, the peace agreement, so that this young country can stand up its economy, create effective security institutions, and bring an end to the sectarian division and fighting.” Kerry said in Nairobi, Kenya.
The United States remains deeply committed to the two Sudans. Through these visits and dialogues, the superpower continues to engage the governments and civil rights organizations while helping to build inclusive political environments and democratic reforms in the systems.
At this time, it is not clear if Special Envoy Booth will visit South Sudan capital but he is expected to wrap up in Sudan on September 1st
1 comment
Since August of 2015 when the peace agreement was signed, the war has never ended unless the word “Ended” recently adopted a new meaning because since then till now not a month has gone by without Kiir forces launching major offensive attacks against civilians and or Oppositions forces. That leaves both the implementation of the peace agreement, the transitional government of national unity including the war thought to have been over to be “re-invigorated” chose one or the other.