U.S. President Barack Obama named Lyman to the post, vacant since February when former envoy General Scott Gration stepped down to become the Obama administration`s nominee as ambassador to Kenya.
A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria and South Africa, Lyman was called out of retirement last year to help Gration mediate disputes between northern and southern Sudan ahead of January`s referendum on secession for the south.
South Sudan is now on track to formally become independent on July 9. But disputes continue over the oil-rich border region of Abyei, fanning fears that violence could erupt again between the two sides which fought a long civil war before reaching a peace deal in 2005.
"With a lifetime of experience working on some of Africa`s most pressing challenges, Ambassador Lyman is uniquely qualified to sustain our efforts in support of a peaceful and prosperous future for the Sudanese people," Obama said in a statement announcing Lyman`s appointment.
"Just as the United States depended on his diplomatic skills to help support the peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy when he was U.S. ambassador to South Africa, I am confident that Ambassador Lyman`s deep knowledge of the African continent will advance U.S. interests and the aspirations of the Sudanese people." Obama added.
Lyman has traveled repeatedly to Sudan in recent months and will now be charged with guiding the process, which Washington has said could lead to eventual full normalization of ties with Khartoum if it does not obstruct progress and improves conditions in Darfur.
Another senior U.S. envoy, Dane Smith, has been named to work on Darfur, where eight years of conflict between mostly non-Arab rebels and government troops backed by largely Arab militias has led to one of the world`s worst humanitarian crises.
While violence has fallen from levels seen in 2003 and 2004, fighting has intensified again in recent months, displacing more than 70,000 people and spurring calls by activist groups for greater efforts to address the crisis, Reuters reported.
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Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
