Sudan has appointed its first ambassador to the United States for almost a quarter of a century, its foreign ministry said on Monday, in a move to normalise relations after decades of hostilities.
Both countries pledged to improve ties after the fall of veteran ruler Omar Al Bashir in an uprising a year ago.
The Sudanese foreign ministry said it had chosen Noureldin Sati, a veteran diplomat, as ambassador in Washington and that US authorities had approved his nomination.
A State Department representative declined to comment on plans to appoint its own ambassador to Sudan. He said the department did not have specific information on the timing for that but called the decision made in December to exchange ambassadors "a historic step".
Both countries have, for almost a quarter of a century, appointed only charge d'affaires, a diplomatic rank under an ambassador, to run their embassies in Washington and Khartoum.
In December, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the two countries would exchange ambassadors. The US ambassador would be announced by President Donald Trump and needs to be confirmed by the US Senate.
The US government added Sudan to its list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993 over allegations that Al Bashir’s government was supporting militant groups, leaving Sudan ineligible for badly needed debt relief and financing from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. There have been growing international calls for the US to drop the sanctions over the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, a senior State Department official said the United States might remove Sudan from the list but the US Congress needed to ratify such a move.
The State Department representative declined to comment on internal US government deliberations on where the talks are about Sudan being removed from the list but added that the two countries remain engaged in active discussions.
"Compensation for the victims of terrorism remains a priority for the US government. The United States and Sudan continue to engage regarding certain terrorism-related claims," the spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Monday said he was close to solving an issue over appointing civilian governors to the country’s 18 provinces – a key issue in negotiations to end long-running conflicts in several areas of the country.
Currently, military-appointed generals oversee the running of the country’s districts but thanks to a deal between the civilian and military leadership last August Mr Hamdok will present civilian candidates after talks with rebel groups as part of a series of peace deals he is trying to negotiate to bring peace to Sudan.
He praised the work of the military generals “in difficult circumstances”.
The prime minister said he wants to “create an atmosphere in which the people of the states feel the revolution and [that there is] real change. They didn't feel it yet … Of course, we will reach that very soon, as part of the challenges that are discussed in the context of achieving a lasting peace that addresses the roots of the crisis in all states.”
The prime minister is already behind the six-month schedule to negotiate the peace deal with armed factions as laid out in the August political deal with the military for Sudan to transition to democracy over 39 months.
Separately, Egypt on Monday sent four cargo planes loaded with medical equipment to Khartoum to handle the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt said it was in light of medicine shortages caused by the country’s economic crisis and aimed to help Sudan contain the spread of the virus in the country where there is already 678 confirmed cases and 41 deaths.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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16 years, 30 days old
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16 years, 68 days old
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
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- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
