by Staff, posted Thursday, March 19, 2009 (15 years ago)
WASHINGTON (BP)--President Obama's appointment of a special envoy for Sudan drew commendation from evangelical Christian advocates for peace in the strife-torn east African country.
Obama named retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration March 18 to serve as the U.S. representative in the effort to gain peace in Darfur, the country's western region that is engulfed in a government-backed, genocidal campaign, and to produce complete implementation of a treaty between Khartoum and the people of southern Sudan.
"I applaud the president for appointing a special envoy to focus on this critical crisis," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "I think it is critically important that we give our government's full and immediate attention to doing everything we can to avoid a human catastrophe of horrendous proportions in Sudan."
Franklin Graham, president of the evangelical relief organization Samaritan's Purse, applauded Obama's decision.
"This is a critical time in Sudan and it is important for the United States to do as much as possible to help the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance because of the ongoing crises there," Graham said in a written statement. "My prayers go out to both the president and General Gration that God would grant them wisdom as they navigate the complexities of Africa's largest nation."
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan panel on which Land serves, also commended the naming of an envoy. In February, USCIRF reiterated its call for a special envoy for Sudan in making a series of policy recommendations for peace in that country.
The crisis in Darfur deepened March 4, when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ordered at least 10 humanitarian aid organizations out of the country. Bashir's action came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, issued an arrest warrant for him ... Read More
