Director of New U.S. Aid Mission to Sudan Takes Oath of Office

Katherine Almquist to assume historic role managing development

Top policymakers for Africa gathered at the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) April 20 to observe the swearing in of Katherine J. Almquist as mission director for Sudan and to celebrate a new era of American assistance to Africa's largest nation.

In a press release issued the same day, USAID announced the re-establishment of its Sudan mission, which had been closed in 1992 after sanctions passed by Congress brought an end to U.S. development assistance.

Sudan, one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid worldwide, "will continue to be one of the Agency's flagship rebuilding-state programs," said U.S. Director of Foreign Assistance and USAID Administrator Randall Tobias.

Almquist will be leaving her job in Washington as USAID deputy assistant secretary for Africa to head offices in Khartoum and in the southern city of Juba. She will oversee a development and humanitarian assistance budget worth more than $850 million.

Her accession is historically significant because it ushers in a new development relationship made possible by the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government of Khartoum and the Southern Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005.

During her tenure in the country, Almquist also will serve as the U.S. representative to Sudan's Assessment and Evaluation Commission, which oversees the implementation of the CPA.

Tobias administered the oath of office to Almquist, who pledged, like all federal officials, to defend and uphold the U.S. Constitution.

Tobias said Almquist was an excellent choice to head up the new Sudan effort because, "Kate has been a critical member of the senior management team here at USAID" and has been involved with Sudan issues for many years. As director of the Sudan Task Force at USAID she was responsible for providing policy direction and program coordination for USAID activities in Sudan and for preparing the Agency's post-conflict strategies."

As the new Sudan mission director, Tobias said, "I know she [Almquist] will continue to be an advocate for the Sudanese people and will work in partnership with other donors and political leaders to bring about lasting change" in Sudan.

Almquist said she looked forward to living in Sudan and working "in Partnership" with Sudanese of all political backgrounds to undo the social and economic devastation wrought by 22 years of civil war.

High on her agenda, she said, was to tie together various USAID Sudan-related efforts in places like Juba, Khartoum and Nairobi, Kenya; continue to help with reconstruction in the south; uniting disaffected areas better with the north; help establish a government of national unity and work on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

In 2005, USAID spent $467 million on humanitarian relief in Darfur, including: $347 million for desperately needed food and $11 million for conflict resolution. That year, the U.S. government also provided $150 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

Source: U.S. Department of State

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