Vice President Joseph Biden is in Africa this week, leading an interagency delegation through the continent before the 2010 World Cup kicks off on Friday. According to The Cable, Biden’s trip will not focus primarily on soccer diplomacy: rather, the purpose of his trip is to provide oversight for the execution of the Obama administration’s Sudan policy. In an administration whose Sudan policy decisions have been marred by internal divisions, Vice President Biden’s senior-level leadership on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement’s implementation process, relationships with Southern Sudanese leadership, and the Darfur peace process is welcome progress.
We asked Vice President Biden to make Sudan a priority during this trip and we hope that the Vice President’s leadership in this matter will inaugurate a period of increased diplomatic efforts to facilitate a peaceful referendum on Southern Sudanese independence and an end to the renewed fighting in Darfur. We will continue to follow Vice President Biden and his delegation as they facilitate the Obama administration’s Sudan policy over the next week.
"Where we can, America must. Why Darfur? Because, we can."