Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, released the following statement today after meeting with President Barack Obama and Major General J. Scott Gration, the recently appointed Special Envoy to Sudan, about Gration’s upcoming trip to the war-torn country.

“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with General Gration and discuss his upcoming trip to Sudan, and to hear directly from President Obama about his commitment to ending the violence and suffering that has ravaged Sudan for far too long.  After meeting with General Gration, it is clear he understands the many challenges in front of him such as coordinating an interagency approach, collaborating with key actors in the region and reinvigorating peace efforts.  I am confident in his dedication to ending the conflict in Sudan and I look forward to working with him and President Obama to ensure the dire situation in Sudan consistently receives the high level of attention it deserves.”

Gration will arrive in Sudan later this week for his first official visit to Sudan since he was named to the post earlier this month.  Gration will reportedly visit Khartoum, Darfur, and south Sudan and leave on April 11.