Geoff: This week, the U.S.
Ambassador to the U.N. Is
visiting the border of one of
the world's worst crises.
More than 5 million Sudanese
have been displaced by a power
struggle between the military
and an offshoot paramilitary
group.
More than 200,000 people from
Sudan's darfur region have fled
into Chad, where un ambassador
Linda Thomas Greenfield
announced new sanctions and
additional humanitarian
assistance.
Nick schifrin spoke to her for a
look at U.S. Policy, 5 months
after violence in Sudan broke
out.
Nick: They cross the border with
their entire lives on the backs
of horse-drawn carts and walk
dozens of miles, carrying the
next generation, to a safer
future.
Sudanese refugees arrive by the
thousands into Chad.
They were greeted yesterday by
us ambassador to the united
nations Linda thomas-greenfield.
She pledged another $163 million
in aid to families fleeing war.
5 months of in-fighting between
Sudan's armed forces and rebel
rapid support forces, or rsf,
has engulfed Sudan's cities.
And reignited ethnic conflict in
darfur, a region the size of
Spain.
20 years ago in darfur
government-backed janjaweed
militias committed what the U.S.
Labeled genocide.
Those militias birthed the
rsf, which today in the same
place, is alleged to have
launched the same crimes.
>> We are talking hundreds of
thousands of people who have
really, at this point, no
protection force between them
and rsf, which has clearly
shown, like the janjaweed from
which they are descended, that
their intent is to liquidate
non-arab people in darfur.
Nick: And to discuss the
humanitarian crisis and U.S.
Policy toward Sudan, we turn to
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
Linda thomas-greenfield.
Ambassador thomas-greenfield,
welcome back to the newshour.
You just heard one description
of what these refugees that
you've been speaking to are
running from.
What did they tell you?
>> They tell me that they ran
because they were afraid.
They ran because they saw their
neighbors, their friends, their
family members killed in front
of their eyes.
They were raped, as some of the
women shared with us, and they
were afraid for their future and
they only their only hope was to
seek refuge here in Chad.
Nick: As we said, much of this
violence in darfur is being
committed by the rcf, which is a
descendant of the janjaweed
militias who committed genocide
20 years ago in darfur.
If the state department today
has evidence that this is the
same group committing similar
violence in the same place, let
me ask you directly.
Is today's violence also a
genocide?
>> Today's violence is very
reminiscent of what we witnessed
in 2003 and 2004.
We are gathering data and
gathering information now.
As you know, we have already
issued sanctions against one
individual and Visa restrictions
on another one.
And we will continue to follow
this situation very intensely
and closely and develop our
decision based on the facts on
the ground.
Nick: You heard from Nathaniel
Raymond, who is in the Sudan
observatory group, which is
funded by the state department,
who is trying to find some of
the facts on the ground earlier
say that the intent is to
liquidate non-arab people in
darfur, like the janjaweed did
20 years ago.
Do you believe that's the case?
>> I believe that we're seeing
evidence of that.
Nick: And is that defined as
ethnic cleansing?
>> You know, we, the people
we're seeing crossing the border
are definitely people of the
same ethnic dissent.
-- Descent.
They're telling us the same
stories of the attacks that are
being made on their families, on
their villages, on their
livelihoods.
And as we gather that data, we
will make firm decisions about
what to do moving forward.
But right now, we're holding
every person that we are aware
of accountable for what they are
doing, and we will continue to
do that.
Nick: Yesterday, you imposed
sanctions on the deputy leader
of the rcf, who is also the
brother of the commander of the
rss general.
But some members of congress
want to see more.
Why are there not sanctions on
general hemmati himself and
indeed the head of the Sudan
armed forces, general Brian?
>> What you saw us announced
yesterday was just the start.
And we're continuing to gather
data and put together the facts
so that we can move forward on
other announcements.
Nick: On that effort to hold
these parties accountable. Is
there a plan to escalate
sanctions?
>> Certainly there is a plan to
continue to impose sanctions.
Nick: 20 years ago, when the
violence was raging in darfur
and the U.S. Declared genocide,
president bush repeatedly raised
what the janjaweed militias were
doing.
Why is president Biden not
talking about darfur?
>> This is what I represent, one
of the faces of the
administration.
I am here because president
Biden wanted me to be here.
And this is something that the
administration is engaging on.
I am part of that engagement.
Nick: Back then, as you know,
the U.S. Pushed resolutions
through the security council
that demanded the janjaweed
disarm.
The security council authorized
troops, of course, to go into
darfur again.
Why is that not happening again?
Why aren't there more efforts by
the security council to repeat
those actions?
>> Well, you may know that I
held this during my presidency
of the security council during
the month of August, the first
open meeting on Sudan.
And one of the things I heard
during that meeting was that the
press, the world was not paying
enough attention.
And I made the decision that I
would bring members of the press
with me here so that we can
witness firsthand what was
happening on this border.
So the efforts in August were
the start and we certainly will
continue to focus attention on
this issue, and particularly in
the security council.
I'm looking forward to returning
to New York, where I can share
with other members of the
council what I witnessed here
and push for more council
action.
Nick: Some regional experts told
me today that they thought
secretary general guterres was
not aggressive enough on the
topic of Sudan, and one senior
U.S. Official told me that the
U.S. -- The U.N. Had been
dysfunctional on Sudan.
Do you agree?
>> But I have been here on the
ground watching U.N. Agencies
responding in ways that are
indescribable to save lives. I
walked with unhcr employees and
other U.N. Agency employees who
are devoting all of their
efforts and their time to saving
the lives of the people in
Sudan.
So I will commend that effort
here in Chad.
And I know that efforts are
being made elsewhere to support
the Sudanese who are the victims
of this brutal war.
Nick: And finally, let's talk
about the regional actors.
The United Arab Emirates in
particular has been a supporter
of general hemmati and the rapid
support forces.
Has the U.S. Confirmed that the
uae has sent weapons to the rcf
in the last few months?
>> We have called for all
countries who might be engaged
in this war to cease those
efforts.
We need to call for peace.
We need to encourage these the
warring parties to put down
their weapons.
We're supporting efforts to find
a peaceful solution, to
negotiate a peaceful settlement
to this war, because until this
war in, people in Sudan will
continue to suffer.
And we've made very, very clear
any countries that might be
engaged in supporting the
efforts of the warring parties
should cease those efforts
immediately.
Nick: Forgive me for asking
again, has the uae sent weapons
to the rsf?
>> I cannot confirm who is
sending weapons to the rss.
-- Rsf.
I can say that we know weapons
are going in and we want to urge
those countries who are
providing those weapons to cease
those those efforts.
Nick: And you are calling for
those countries to cease those
efforts on the other side, of
course, we have Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, that have historically
supported the Saddam armed
forces.
What is the U.S. Doing beyond
calling for those countries not
to feel the conflict, to stop
feeling of conflict?
>> Well, you know that we have
been very, very actively engaged
in the peace process and trying
to bring the parties to
negotiate a settlement.
Those efforts continue.
We're supporting the efforts of
the Arab league, of the African
union, of egad, and all of the
regional parties who might be
able to influence these warring
parties.
And today I met with the
transitional president of Chad
and also urged that he continue
to actively engage to stop this
war.
Nick: Ambassador Linda
thomas-greenfield, thank you
very much.
>> Thank you.
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