Charles R. Snyder

Senior Representative on Sudan
U.S. Department of State

In his position with the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Snyder is charged with guiding the policy and operations associated with bringing the Navaisha Peace Accords to fruition and ending the crisis in Darfur. He directs the Sudan Programs Group.

Mr. Snyder previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs until July 2004 and was responsible for setting U.S. policy toward Africa while managing a Bureau with 48 constituent posts and more than 4,000 employees. Earlier, while serving as Principal Deputy and Deputy Assistant Secretary (2001-2003), he was policy point person for the Sudan Peace Initiative, framed policy toward central Africa, launched the Northern Uganda Peace Initiative, and managed the Bureau’s policy program budget of more than $100.

Previously, as Director of the Office of Regional Affairs (1995-2001), he supported the Assistant Secretary on cross-cutting policy and program issues such as democracy, conflict resolution, human rights, labor, multilateral organizations, public affairs, congressional affairs, and crisis management.

A career intelligence officer and Africanist, he served as National Intelligence Officer for Africa from 1992 until April 1995. During this period, he supervised the production of several National Intelligence Estimates on Africa, including a major review of the continent’s prospects and problems as well as a detailed forecast of the potential impact of HIV/AIDS.

Earlier, as Senior Political-Military Advisor, he provided advice to the Department of State’s Africa Bureau on military assistance matters, military exercises, and conflict resolution. He served as political military advisor on the team that mediated the Tripartite Agreement between Cuba, Angola and South Africa; led the team that established the Joint Military Monitoring Commission, which implemented the ceasefire along the Angola-Namibia border; chaired the military discussions supporting the Portuguese mediation of the Angolan Civil War; and led the U.S. technical team supporting the successful Italian effort to negotiate an end to the Mozambican Civil War.

He created the African Biodiversity Program, which married the Department of Defence’s assistance program to the Department of State’s emerging environmental policy concerns providing more than $25 million in assistance to preserve wildlife in nine countries.

Mr. Snyder retired from the U.S.Army in 1991 after 22 years of service. During that career, he conducted an independent research project on African armies traveling widely in Africa as the first military officer to be selected for the Director of Central Intelligence’s Exceptional Analyst Program. He was also responsible to the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for all African military training and security assistance programs for Egypt, Lebanon, and Israel; and established the Army’s Technological Transfer Sales Review system.

Colonel Snyder was assigned to the Department of State in 1985 as an exchange officer and served as military advisor to the Africa Bureau until retirement.

He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Fordham University, a Masters of Business Administration in International Finance from American University, and did post-graduate work in international relations at Catholic University as well as Howard University. He is a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of the Foreign Service Institute, and a life member of the Foreign Area Officers Association and the African Studies Association.