Biden faces bipartisan frustration over Sudan response

Disgruntled lawmakers urged the Biden administration to step up its response to the unfolding civil war in Sudan during a hearing on Wednesday. 

“Thousands of private American citizens were left to fend for themselves when the violence broke out, to say nothing of millions of Sudanese who now understandably feel abandoned by the international community,” said Foreign Relations committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)

However, unlike his Republican colleagues, Menendez didn’t place the blame squarely on the Biden administration. He said years of U.S. foreign policy “failed” to help a peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan.

“I won’t sit here and put the blame on the State Department or the administration for a foreign policy failure that has been many years in the making.”

But Menendez did say Wednesday’s hearing on Sudan was necessary to push the State Department to find solutions. So far, attempts to broker a ceasefire in Sudan have failed and international leaders have not decided on a collective humanitarian response, he said. 

Ranking member Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said the Biden administration’s efforts in Sudan have been disappointing.

“This committee has tried to ensure Sudan had the highest levels of attention from the State Department. Sadly, that hasn’t happened. I concur with the chairman that this is not an easy situation,” Risch said. 

The Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing over a year ago, Risch added, that he hoped would encourage the Biden administration to create a clear vision for goals of democracy and peace in Sudan. Risch advocated for new policies that would weaken the two warring Sudanese generals and deploy an international coalition of actors to help the country establish a democratic government. 

“The administration must change not only the architecture but also the architects of this policy,” Risch said. “We must end this cycle of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.”

The State Department’s under secretary of state for political affairs, Victoria Nuland, defended the agency’s actions but acknowledged the controversial nature of foreign policy in recent years. 

“We and our partners continue to make clear to the warring parties led by these two generals that there can be no military solution to this crisis and negotiations are the only way forward,” Nuland said. 

She added that the department, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had made an “incredible effort” to offer the option to the generals to cooperate. 

“But, as I said, unfortunately, they chose the path of war, not the path of integration,” Nuland said. 

President Biden announced an executive order last week that called for an end to the Sudanese violence, and expanded the administration’s ability to introduce sanctions against those who undermine stability in the country. 

“We have the sanctions tool now that can allow us to continue to pressure them,” Nuland said. 

Hundreds of Sudanese civilians were killed just in the first days of war between Sudan’s top two generals, and hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced or are hiding in their homes. Two American citizens have been killed in the violence.

Other lawmakers also expressed their frustrations over the State Department’s handling of the conflict since armed conflict broke out almost a month ago. 

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said the situation in Sudan seems to be getting worse, in part due to the “inadequacy” of U.S. policy.

“Apart from the loss of civilian lives, I’m greatly concerned about the risk that further instability in Sudan can cause to regions beyond it,” Scott said. 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) added that American officials should reconsider how to establish peace in the nation, as he said the conflict stemmed from “a failure of democracy to take root.” 

“It means that we have to reevaluate all of our actions and roles that we’ve played, and try things differently,” Booker said. “There are so many crises and fronts to this.”