This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Peter Tibber

Ambassador to Colombia

Part of UK in Sudan

26th August 2012

A wet but warm welcome from Khartoum

We (my wife, Eve, and I) arrived nearly two weeks ago. As the doors of the aircraft opened so too did the heavens. We got soaked as we dashed the short distance from the foot of the aircraft steps to the waiting vehicle. It wasn’t the weather we were expecting. But it was more than compensated for by the warm welcome we received from the representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It poured too when we got married nearly 30 years ago. All our guests told us that a rainy wedding foretold a happy marriage. And so it has proved. Maybe a rainy arrival in Sudan signals a happy posting here. I certainly hope so. Rain is good for Sudan, though sadly it has also brought death and displacement.

We arrived in the last days of Ramadan. It’s a nice time to arrive as people take time to reflect on things beyond the immediate and to recharge spiritual batteries. It’s given me the opportunity to start meeting people informally at a couple of Iftars and to make some Eid calls. The joy of Eid has been dimmed by the plane crash which killed Minister Ghazi al-Sadiq Abdel Rahim, and several other senior Sudanese. I send my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the deceased.

The Minister for Africa, Mr Bellingham has written formally to Foreign Minister Karti to express our condolences.

I was told before I came here about the traditional Sudanese warmth and hospitality. I am already experiencing it at first hand. We received our first dinner invitation before we had even arrived here. The conversations I have had over Eid have been universally warm and welcoming.

That is a reflection of Sudanese culture. But I think, I hope, it is also a consequence of the ties between us. We go back a long way. We have shared some history. Many Sudanese have lived or studied in the UK. One of my first early impressions is of the strength of the educational links. There is a thirst to learn English.

We are here to work with Sudan to deal with the challenges it faces: challenges of conflict, of development in the broadest sense and of poverty. As my predecessor pithily put it: build peace and reduce poverty. We want to enable better lives in Sudan. This is an end in itself. But it’s not just altruism. Frankly it’s in our interests just as much as in the interests of Sudan. We spend over £150m a year on Sudan. More peace means less need for peacekeepers. Less poverty means less need for development assistance.

Of course, the prime responsibility for dealing with a country’s issues, here or anywhere else, lies with the Government and people of that country. But we believe we can make a contribution, and more importantly, so do many in Sudanese. Some of that help is practical; bringing humanitarian relief or better access to clean water to those that need it. Some of it is about working with institutions of Government and civil society

We have been doing this for some time. We’ve invested heavily in helping to end conflict, most notably through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement process that led to the creation of South Sudan. Here, too, the primary credit must go to Sudan itself. The process is not complete and we will continue to play a supporting role when the negotiations resume shortly in Addis.

I hope that through my own role here, and the activities of this embassy, we will be able to make a contribution. My ambition is to work with the Government and people of Sudan to help make this a better place for all. And if at the end of my posting I have made even small progress in that direction and in building the ties between our two countries the soaking I got on first arrival here will have been well worth it.

3 comments on “A wet but warm welcome from Khartoum

  1. Welcome Mr. Peter.
    through your kind words it so easy to understand your real personal and official interest to to sincerely work with Sudan to put an end to many of the peace and poverty problems. Sudanese are a very peaceful nation, sharing a land with lots and diverse resources which can only be utilized through genuine and respectful cooperation with Developed Countries like UK which again should be built on trust and joint interest.
    I highly appreciate your Country’s past contributions in the well being of Sudan & Sudanese and look forward for more.
    As a normal citizen I thank you again for your nice words on our Country and people and getting deep into the society you will find people even more sincere ,friendly and likeable

  2. Dear the Ambassador,
    I used to follow your blogs please write more.I noticed that UK involvement in Sudan problems and conflicts is not as it should be compared to that of USA .UK being understanding Sudan both North and South better one expect more role instead of leaving all cards on the hand of USA policies.Sudan as ex colony of UK and for the mere fact that UK understand the psychology and mentality of Sudanese people are able to mediate better in North and south conflicts along with Darfour,blue nile and south kordofan issues.
    Please play more role because both south and north trust UK

  3. Dear Mr. Peter Tibber, even if “…the weather wasn ‘t as expected…”, “…and it poured like at your wedding…”-if the welcome was so warm as you have wrote, I would be glad anyway.I ‘ve wrote already some comments to both, Sudan as well as South Sudan. That ‘s why I also want to congratulate to you for your courage, to take over the position in these hard times. So I ‘m really looking forward to hear and esp. read more of you.Best wishes, Ingo-Steven Wais, Stuttgart/Cardiff

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About Peter Tibber

Dr Tibber joined the FCO in 1984 after completing a doctorate in medieval history at Oxford University. He has been posted to France, Turkey, Mexico, Germany and Pakistan. He was…

Dr Tibber joined the FCO in 1984 after completing a doctorate in medieval history at Oxford University. He has been posted to France, Turkey, Mexico, Germany and Pakistan. He was a member of the Senior Management Team of UKTI. He was ambassador to Sudan August 2011 to August 2015.

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