November 19, Port Sudan — On Monday, the U.S. Special Envoy Tom Perriello met Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef in Port Sudan for the first time since the war began in April 2023. The meeting focused on strategies to end the war and deliver vital humanitarian aid.
The talks were described by Sudan’s ruling Sovereignty Council as “long, comprehensive and frank.” Burhan allegedly discussed concerns about the use of the Adre border crossing with Chad, accusing the RSF of using it to smuggle weapons. The border’s opening was extended last week following international pressure to deliver aid.
On X, Perriello said the meetings in Port Sudan were “productive.” He said he “expressed appreciation for recent steps to improve the movement of emergency relief” but that they must increase the volumes of food and medicine reaching areas in Sudan.
Periello’s trip “underscores the ongoing U.S. commitment” to working towards the resolving the conflict, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Monday. Perriello’s term, which started in 2021, will end once Joe Biden leaves office in January.
It also coincided with Russia vetoeing a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and the delivery of humanitarian aid at the UN Security Council on Monday. Russia was the only Security Council member to vote against the resolution, which had been drafted by the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone.
“It is shocking that Russia has vetoed an effort to save lives, though perhaps it shouldn’t be,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. “For months, Russia has obstructed and obfuscated, standing in the way of council action to address the catastrophic situation in Sudan.”