WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to work with President Trump to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan, build out key senior Africa roles at the State Department and the National Security Council, and to hold accountable both internal and foreign actors prolonging the conflict. Joining Sens. Warner and Young in the letter are U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The ongoing violence in Sudan has led to a massive humanitarian crisis. Since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, it’s estimated that the conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands to potentially over one hundred thousand individuals, and in the region, an estimated 30 million Sudanese are in need of immediate assistance.

Sen. Warner has led bipartisan efforts to address this crisis, including pushing the Biden administration to take steps to better address the chaos and violence displacing millions of people in Sudan and the surrounding regions. Following the senators' calls for a special envoy, President Biden appointed former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello to the position, but the position has remained vacant under the Trump administration.

The senators wrote, “Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.”

The senators highlighted continued bipartisan efforts to respond to the crisis in Sudan and the need to fill crucial roles in countries impacted by the ongoing civil war. 

Added the senators, “We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act. We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.”

In addition to the need to fill these crucial roles, the senators highlighted the impact that outside influences are having on this crisis, and the need for the U.S. to hold accountable any foreign actors exacerbating the crisis. 

“To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools,” they wrote. 

Sen. Warner has been a leading voice in the Senate about the need for increased diplomatic and humanitarian support for Sudan since the war erupted. Last year, Sen. Warner pushed the Biden administration take more decisive action against foreign entities fueling the ongoing civil war in Sudan. In May 2023, he and Sen. Kaine requested that the Biden administration issue a new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Sudan, which was subsequently issued. Later that month, Sens. Warner and Kaine led a group of colleagues in urging the administration to offer all available support for humanitarian efforts in the region – and to be forward leaning on prioritizing local and community-based response efforts – as well as appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan tasked with coordinating and leading U.S. diplomatic efforts to address the crisis. In December 2023, the senators continued calling on the Biden administration to designate a Special Envoy to Sudan, and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was subsequently appointed to the position. Sen. Warner has also continued his efforts to provide support to Sudan and the Sudanese diaspora and meeting with the Sudanese community in Virginia.  

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Dear Secretary Rubio,

Now into the third year of destructive conflict in Sudan, with escalating violence and atrocities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), U.S. engagement to bring a resolution to this conflict is more critical than ever. You can send a strong signal to the region by working with the President to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan and holding accountable both Sudanese and foreign actors prolonging the conflict. 

Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions. Approximately 30 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent humanitarian need. By some estimates, the conflict has killed upwards of 150,000 people, in what the U.S. government has officially declared a genocide. Belligerents on both sides stand accused of atrocities, including killings, abductions of civilians, and horrific instances of sexual violence against women and children.

We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position, which would align with bipartisan Congressional intent expressed through the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which included provisions of the Response to Conflict in Sudan Act.  We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa, including the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, ambassadors to countries impacted by or otherwise implicated in the conflict, and push for the appointment of a Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts.

In addition to naming an envoy, we urge you to hold accountable external actors – including the UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt – and foreign businesses fueling the gruesome atrocities. The recent large-scale offensive by the RSF in Darfur – which has included storming and systematically burning down the Zamzam refugee camp, killing hundreds of people in a massacre that has also forced hundreds of thousands more to flee the camp in a matter of days – exemplifies the depravity that is being enabled by these external forces.

To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions. We encourage you, alongside allies and partners, to continue to hold accountable external actors that support and/or finance the conflict, using all available tools.

Conflicts rarely stay localized, and the longer this horrific war drags on, the more combustible this region becomes – an outcome that creates a power vacuum that extremists, terrorists, and our foreign adversaries will only be too happy to fill. The war’s continuation not only harms millions of innocent civilians, but also poses serious risk to American security interests in the region.

We strongly support U.S. engagement and leadership in Sudan. The appointment of a new Special Envoy would send a strong signal. We look forward to working together to support your efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, address the humanitarian crisis, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities, and stop the actors fueling this crisis inside and outside Sudan.

Sincerely,

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