Africa: Special Envoy Lyman Dispatched to Darfur Peace Talks in Doha, Observe Southern Kordofan Elections

President Obama has dispatched Ambassador Princeton Lyman, the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, to on-going peace talks in Doha, Qatar. Ambassador Lyman travels tonight to Doha where he will join U.S. Senior Advisor on Darfur Dane Smith in urging the Sudanese Government and Darfuri armed movements to use the remaining weeks of the Doha talks to reach a political agreement, commit to an immediate ceasefire, and take immediate steps to improve security and humanitarian conditions on the ground in Darfur. Following their participation in the Doha talks, Ambassadors Lyman and Smith will travel to Darfur to evaluate conditions on the ground and explore mechanisms to more fully involve the Darfuri people in the peace process.

Ambassador Lyman also plans to travel to Southern Kordofan, where gubernatorial and legislative elections will be held May 2-4. There, he will join other international officials in observing the polling process and will discuss with Sudanese authorities the way ahead on the region’s popular consultations, a critical element of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that remains outstanding.

During his trip, the Special Envoy will also meet with Northern and Southern leaders in Khartoum and Juba as part of sustained dialogue with Sudanese officials on a wide range of issues, including full and timely implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and resolution of the Darfur conflict.