On 13 November 2024, the Founder and Executive Director met with Mr Tom Perriello, the United States Special Envoy for Sudan. The meeting took place in Pretoria, South Africa. Mr Perriello’s visit to South Africa was ahead of consultations with the African Union later in the week.
The meeting provided an opportunity to introduce Mr Perriello to the work of ACCORD, as well as ACCORD’s prognosis for peace and security on the Continent. ACCORD is actively involved in contributing towards the Sudan Peace Process and the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the current situation in Sudan, as well as the prognosis for ongoing developments in the conflict.
Mr Perriello is the former Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This role provided an opportunity for further discussion on related issues. H.E. Ambassador Welile Nhlapo, an ACCORD Senior Political Advisor was also present at the meeting. H.E. Ambassador Nhlapo served as South Africa’s Special Representative to the Great Lakes Region from 2011-12. He led former South African President Jacob Zuma’s technical team on Burundi, when President Zuma, as Deputy President, was the mediator in the Burundi Peace Process. Additionally, H.E. Ambassador Nhlapo also served as South Africa’s Ambassador to the African Union (AU) Mission in Burundi, and as Ambassador to the United States of America from 2007 to 2009.
The Royal Norwegian Government funds a project at ACCORD looking at reinforcing the facilitation process between the Government of Sudan and the armed groups in order to strengthen regional, national and local capacities to prevent and mitigate conflict. ACCORD has hosted a number of delegations from Sudan and has conducted several trainings to facilitate dialogue, build partnerships, and to contribute to the Sudan Peace Process.
