Sorting out Sudan sanctions

Recently, after hearing from activists all over the country, senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee grilled U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Gration on his strategy for peace in Sudan. If you missed the hearing, you can check out Genocide Intervention Network’s liveblogging from the event, and this summary and series of video clips from the ENOUGH Project.

Some of the most contentious topics included Gration’s emphasis on engagement with the Khartoum government, Sudan’s status on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, and the efficacy of continued U.S. sanctions on Sudan.

Gration’s comments during the hearing suggested that he favored lifting sanctions, but he later stated that that he had been misunderstood – he supports refining existing sanctions to further minimize their impact on development in South Sudan, but is not currently looking to roll back sanctions on Khartoum.

For some background on the issue, check out my post on Enough Said, the ENOUGH Project’s blog, summarizing current sanctions on Sudan.