Washington, D.C. — Describing northern Sudan as in a "desperate situation", US Secretary of State, Colin Powell announced Monday that the Bush Administration will end a policy of shipping most of its humanitarian aid to the war victims in the South.
We don't use food aid as a political weapon, Powell claimed. "So there is not a political connection to the food aid. [The change] is strictly because of the need in the north."
Some 17,000 metric tons of food that was en route to Bangladesh has been diverted to Sudan. It will save time, said Usaid Administrator Andrew Natsios, who has just finished travelling in Africa with Secretary Powell.
Another 23,000 metric tons will be sent to Sudan later.
Despite a decision announced less than a week ago that the State Department had agreed to have defense contractor DynCorp of Reston, Virginia deliver some US$3m in logistical support to the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), based in southern Sudan, some observers see a significant shift underway.
"We are not against any side," Powell said at a Nairobi news conference last week. "We want to see reconciliation." But eighteen months ago, when then Secretary of state Madeline Albright visited Nairobi, she met with Sudanese rebel leader, John Garang.
Powell, who is known to be cool to the appointment of "special envoys," also told reporters he is considering a special Sudanese envoy to "engage with the parties to try to reenergize some of the peace processes that have been in place."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"It's a big shift," enthused one Congressional aide who is deeply involved with Africa issues. "That three million dollars is a one time thing. [Powell] recognizes that the Sudan government won't fully trust us as long as they think the US government backs the South."
A more cautious view was expressed by Siddig Abdalla, Counsellor at the Sudan Embassy: "We welcome this move. Any constructive engagement in Sudanese affairs is welcome. We think the US can play a role in putting an end to the conflict."
But asked how he assessed the signifiance of food aid for the North at the same time as logistical support for southern rebels, Mr Abdallah said: "I'm not going to put my words in their [the Bush Administration's] mouths."
The Bush Administration has just finished a review of US policy towards Sudan. But with intense politics and lobbying by Christian groups who accuse the Sudanese government of waging a religious war against non-Muslims, and lobbying by African American groups angry at reports of the enslavement of non-Muslim Africans by government-backed militias, the final shape of US policy in the huge nation remains unclear.
It will be Powell's hands that shapes that policy, says C. Payne Lucas of the NGO, Africare. "The fact that Colin Powell went to Africa at this time, given all the stuff in the Middle East and the Balkans, is significant. He can't save [Sudan] but he can elevate the Administration's attention."
