USAID resumes Sudan Mission after 15-year closure

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the resumption of its Sudan Mission after a 15-year closure to manage its program of assistance to the Sudanese people, according to a statement Monday.

The USAID said in the statement that its mission staff would be located in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, the southern city of Juba and would also maintain a field presence in Darfur.

The agency's Sudan Mission was closed in 1992 after sanctions passed by the US Congress brought an end the US development assistance.

The agency's assistance to Sudan, one of the largest recipients of its aid worldwide, which stood at less than 150 million US dollars in 2003, reached more than 855 million dollars in 2005. - Xinhua Apr 24, 2006.