US appoints another diplomat, lower than ambassador, to Khartoum
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The US on Monday appointed a new a Chargé d’Affaires in its embassy in Khartoum at a time the country was waiting for a full fledged ambassador to be named, an official source said here.
The State Department had last year said it would be sending an ambassador to the Sudan.
In a statement announcing the nomination of the new diplomat, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken gave no reason apart from saying the Chargé d’Affaires was “ad interim”.
“Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, will serve as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at our Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, following Brian Shukan’s nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin,” the statement received by PANA in Khartoum said.
It added that ambassador Tamlyn “will bring a wealth of experience to the role”, having served previously as the Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and then to the Central African Republic.
“I am sending Ambassador Tamlyn to Khartoum during this critical juncture in Sudan’s democratic transition with the full confidence of Washington behind her. Ambassador Tamlyn will serve in this role pending the nomination and confirmation of a U.S. Ambassador to Sudan,” Blinken said
He expressed his “deep appreciation” to outgoing Chargé Shukan for his exceptional leadership in partnering with Sudanese actors to achieve a democratic transition and to fulfill the aspirations of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice.
-0-PANA MO/RA 17Jan2022
