WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State John Kerry announced Monday that former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) will serve as the Obama administration's special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa, an appointment that covers Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
By all accounts, Perriello is uniquely qualified for his new assignment. As a lawyer, he spent much of his career working on human rights issues and conflict resolution, both in and around war zones such as Kosovo, Darfur and Afghanistan.
Perriello also has close ties to the Obama administration, and recently led a quadrennial review of the diplomatic and development agenda at the U.S. Department of State. From 2011 to 2014, he served as CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive advocacy group.
The position of special envoy to this war-torn part of central Africa had been sitting empty for more than three months after Perriello's predecessor, former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), stepped down from the job in March and announced that he would be running for the Senate.
Perriello was unavailable for an interview on Monday afternoon, but leading human rights advocates said they hoped the appointment signaled the Obama administration's renewed commitment to finding solutions in one of the world's most challenging regions.
Uganda has been engaged in a 20 year conflict with rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army; Burundi suffered a coup this spring; Rwanda is still recovering from the 1994 genocide, and the eastern DRC is plagued by militia groups battling for control of natural resources.
Perriello's appointment "fills a major hole in U.S. policy and creates a real opportunity for great progress," said John Prendergast, the founding director of the nonprofit Enough Project, which works to end genocide and human rights abuses. The DRC "is facing some huge challenges during the next year, and the U.S. government is uniquely placed to support outcomes that prioritize peace and human rights protection," he observed in a statement on Monday.
Among these priorities, Prendergast said, are "ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, supporting further reforms in the mineral sector, catalyzing effective operations against rogue armed groups in the east, [and] pressing for more effective demobilization programs for ex-soldiers and better livelihood programs for ex-miners."
Kerry said on Monday that Perriello's priorities "will be to strive -- in coordination with local officials and international partners -- to spur progress towards lasting peace, stability, and development throughout the region, including the strengthening of democratic institutions and civil society and the safe and voluntary return of refugees and the internally displaced."
The United Nations estimates that in the DRC alone, there are more than three million refugees and internally displaced persons due to ongoing conflict among militia groups.
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