Deputy Secretary Zoellick: Travel to Rwanda and Sudan

Deputy Secretary Zoellick is welcomed by an African Union soldier as he arrives in Northern Darfur regions administrative capital El Fasher, Sudan, Friday, June 3, 2005. AP/Wide World PhotoDeputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick traveled to Rwanda and Sudan during the week of May 31, 2005. While in Rwanda, the Deputy Secretary attended the annual meeting of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit in Kigali. He then made his second trip to Sudan in order to visit Darfur and also  met with Sudanese government officials and the Special Representative of the United Nations, Jan Pronk, in Khartoum.

Through his participation in the COMESA meeting in Kigali, Deputy Secretary Zoellick highlighted United States support for COMESA’s role in fostering regional political, economic, and security conditions. He discussed with COMESA and the leaders of its member states our work together to bring about a peaceful, unified Sudan and support the transition process in the Great Lakes. The Deputy Secretary met with Rwandan government officials and visited the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. COMESA member states are Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. COMESA nations’ total population is 385 million, and they have a combined gross domestic product of approximately $388 billion.

In Sudan, Deputy Secretary Zoellick continued our work -- in concert with the African Union, other international parties, and the Sudanese -- to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, advance effective implementation of the North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and promote a political reconciliation in Darfur. He met with one of the forward-deployed African Union units in Darfur and talked with tribal leaders at a camp of internally displaced persons. His visit followed up on the U.S. pledge made at the May 26 donors conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to support expansion of the African Union force in Darfur, particularly through NATO.

Deputy Secretary Zoellick last visited Darfur, Khartoum, and Rumbek in southern Sudan from April 14 -15, after attending an international conference in Oslo to mobilize support for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord between Northern and Southern Sudan.

The United States has led the world in providing humanitarian assistance to southern Sudan and Darfur. The United States will seek to provide between one and two billion dollars to this cause over the next two years, and has already committed over $1.1 billion with an additional $540 million under consideration for FY ’06. To date in fiscal year 2005, the United States has provided more than $375 million in humanitarian assistance to populations in Darfur and for the approximately 200,000 refugees who have fled to Chad. During fiscal years 2003-2005, we have provided more than $635 million in humanitarian assistance for the Darfur emergency.

Remarks by Deputy Secretary Zoellick
2005/06/02: Remarks at the COMESA Plenary
2005/05/27: Press Briefing on Sudan

Related Information
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)