After Melissa left the United Nations in January 1994, the State Department had to find a post for her. It was during this period that she led a life that was likened to that of Indiana Jones: she was a fellow at Harvard University and was named Special Representative to Sudan to help negotiations with that country’s southern region. She would participate in academic symposiums at Harvard, sharing her experience with researchers, and then would fly to remote regions of Sudan in the heart of Africa.
She knew southern Sudan well. When she had finished her work in Uganda in December 1981, she moved to her next post, at IMPACT in Geneva, not by air but by car. The family drove from Kenya through southern Sudan, to Khartoum, and then put their car on a train to the Egyptian border. The trip, which took six weeks, was possible because the family could sleep in a Toyota Hilux that had been adapted for this use. The trip was also possible because the civil war that had been raging there for years had ended. Her sons to this day still consider it as the best trip they have ever taken, and that is where her older son, Christopher, learned to drive. Here are some photos.
Her nomination in 1994 had strong support from US Congressmen and the State Department briefed the press about her mission. She went several times to southern Sudan and met with a wide range of experts and officials.
Melissa’s efforts, unfortunately, were not as successful as her other assignments or her adventurous trip. Fighting resumed between the Sudanese government and the south. The civil war dragged on for years.
This was her last post connected with Africa. She had lived over eight years there (she never lived in Sudan). She had realized her dream of living in Africa. During her work, she was approached by a Georgetown graduate who was inspired by her message on dreams three years earlier. She spoke about meeting him in this video.
In May 1995, she became the Consul General in São Paulo.
In 2009, she spoke about her experience in the role, while staying her favorite hotel in Brazil.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011.