coming days . '' On Wednesday , retired Air Force Gen. J. Scott Gration was appointed as U.S. special envoy for Sudan , the White House announced in a written statement . `` Sudan is a priority for this administration , particularly at a time when it cries out for peace and for justice . The worsening humanitarian crisis there makes our task all the more urgent , '' President Barack Obama said in the statement . `` General Gration 's personal and professional background , and his service to the country as both a military leader and a humanitarian , give him the insights and experience necessary for this assignment . '' Gration , a former fighter pilot , served as assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs . Fluent in Swahili , he was raised partly in Africa , where his parents were missionary teachers Clinton said the real question now is what kind of pressure can be brought to bear on al-Bashir and the government in Khartoum to make them understand `` that they will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in those camps . '' State Department spokesman Robert Wood
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. State Department threw aside diplomatic language Tuesday , attacking Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for creating what it calls a `` catastrophe '' by throwing many international aid workers out of the country . President Omar al-Bashir ordered the expulsion of aid groups after he was indicted on war crimes charges . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a direct challenge to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Tuesday , warning that he and his government `` will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in '' the refugee camps of the Darfur region . Al-Bashir ordered the expulsion of 13 international aid groups from the Sudan earlier this month after he was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes . While other aid groups remain in Sudan , the United Nations said the 13 expelled groups provided roughly half the assistance delivered in Darfur . Nearly 300,000 people have died in the Darfur conflict , and millions are homeless , according to the U.N. Calling the situation in Darfur `` horrendous , '' Clinton said President Obama 's administration will appoint a special envoy for Sudan `` in the