Diplomacy, Security and Investment

I was promised (or warned?) that a posting to Sudan would not be dull. And so it has proved so far. My first full month here has been a mix of traditional diplomacy, concern for the security of the embassy and my staff, and investment in the future of Sudan.

Diplomacy

The “high diplomacy” has revolved around the Addis talks. I have spent quite a bit of my time engaging with influential voices in and out of Government in support of the African Union process to bring a settlement to the outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan.

I am delighted that eight agreements have now been signed by Presidents Bashir and Salva Kiir. The Foreign Secretary heralded the agreements as “a significant stride towards the goal of resolving all outstanding disputes between the two countries”. We congratulate both presidents for taking bold steps for peace. It hasn’t been easy. The issues are complex. It has required statesmanship from both Presidents  and will continue to require support from the Sudanese people and the International Community.

The agreements will make a real difference to the lives of the people of Sudan, and of South Sudan. They will, among other things, enable the oil to start flowing again, and with it the revenues that it generates. They will create a demilitarised zone along the border area and open the way again to cross border trade. They guarantee the respect of basic rights for the citizens of one country living in the other.  These are impressive achievements. They need to be implemented and we hope also to see progress on those areas where agreement was not possible on this occasion, for example the status of Abyei and the final definition of the border. It’s also important to implement the separate agreement to deliver  humanitarian aid d to those people who need it in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Sudan will want to do all this for itself and its people. The international community can play a role, as events in Addis have shown. We will continue to do what we can, and to support the African Union Panel, in helping to resolve all these issues.

Security

My concerns about security were prompted, of course, by the attack on the embassy on 14 September. I am quite sure that most Sudanese people were as shocked as we were by what happened. I’d like to thank all those in the Government of Sudan, members of political parties and Sudanese Civil Society for the support they have given us over the last week. We have been inundated with calls and emails to express concern. Many of you have made quite clear that what happened was quite out of character with  Sudanese and Islamic traditions of hospitality.

For our part we have been clear that, as the Foreign Secretary told parliament, the film that caused so much anger and offense is ‘clearly a contemptible piece of work’ . Actions which are aimed to insult deeply personal beliefs are actions of individuals, not governments. We welcome the assurances of the Sudanese Foreign Minister that full protection will be provided to embassies and that the Sudanese Government firmly believes that any attacks on embassies, consulates or foreign diplomats is a breach of Sudanese laws as well as international treaties and conventions. These assurances mean that we can concentrate on what we are here to do; building of Sudanese-British relations and investing in the development of Sudan.

Investment

One way of doing that is through education (which is where “investment for the future” comes in. At the beginning of this month I hosted an event to say goodbye to the newest group of Chevening Scholars that departed Sudan to study in the UK. They are going to study a range of courses (including, for example, financial management, foreign policy and human rights) at some of the best universities in the world. The Chevening Programme is the British Government’s flagship scholarship scheme, established in 1983 to support the development of possible future leaders across the world. Some of those that have benefitted from it are now presidents, prime ministers, leading academics, and prominent journalists. Alumni. Over the years some 200 Sudanese students have studied under the scheme and I am delighted that some of Sudan’s leading companies (DAL, Kenana, Zain) are now also sponsoring Chevening scholarships.

I have every confidence that we will be seeing great things from the Sudanese Scholars who have just left for the UK. The speech of one new scholar highlighted what the programme means for them: “We love Sudan and we want to use this opportunity to learn skills and meet people so that we can come back and help build Sudan.”

We support education in Sudan in other ways too. For example we provided technical expertise to help Sudan make a bid to the Global Partnership for Education (to which we contribute financially). As a result Sudan has secured $51m to help widen access to education in Sudan and to improve the quality of education through the provision of textbooks.

The British Council also has a huge range of programmes to strengthen education links between the UK and Sudan, and to support English language teaching. These include a programme called Connecting Classrooms which links schools in the UK and Sudan, through advanced IT video conferences, visits to the UK for Sudanese teachers, School Leadership and policy courses. The English language centre continues to expand rapidly and this year the British Council and UK DFID have joined forces to train 900 English language teachers.

I am using my first month here in Sudan to listen to what people think about UK, UK-Sudanese relations and to our development programmes across Sudan. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of you in person. I’d like to invite people to write to me and comment on the blog so that this dialogue can be widened out. This blog is an opportunity for me to tell readers about what the UK does in Sudan. But it is also an opportunity for me to hear whether we are on the right path.