Sudan and the United States agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relations by appointing ambassadors for the first time in 23 years, as America seeks to support Khartoum’s transition to democratic rule.
The move is a significant step towards Sudan’s return to the international fold after years out in the cold under Omar Al Bashir. But the country’s biggest and most sought-after foreign policy prize – the US removing it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism – remains elusive.
The announcement late on Wednesday that ambassadors would return to the capitals of the two countries came as Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime UN economist, visited Washington for the first time since his appointment in August.
He is there enlisting support for the country’s transition to democratic rule after the removal in April of Mr Al Bashir’s 29-year authoritarian regime.
“This decision is a meaningful step forward in strengthening the US-Sudan relationship, particularly as the civilian-led transitional government works to implement the vast reforms under the political agreement and constitutional declaration,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
Sudan and the United States first established diplomatic relations in 1956, the year the vast Afro-Arab nation won its independence from Egyptian-British rule. Sudan severed diplomatic ties with Washington in 1967 to protest against US support for Israel during the Arab-Israeli war. Relations were restored five years later, but Washington closed its embassy in 1996 in response to terrorist threats. It was reopened in 2002, but has since been led by a charge d’affaires, not an ambassador.
Washington designated the country as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 because of its ties to terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, who lived in Sudan for years.
Mr Hamdok has been tirelessly emphasising the point that Sudan would not qualify for desperately needed support by international economic agencies while its terrorism-sponsoring designation remains.
US administration officials said Sudan was making progress in meeting the criteria for removal but had not met all conditions, according to The Associated Press.
In comments made in Washington, Mr Hamdok said removing Sudan’s name from the list of state sponsors of terrorism was the key to resolving a host of other issues.
“We have inherited a total foreign debt of about $60 billion (Dh220.38bn) and we cannot restructure that debt before we are delisted first,” he said.
Mohamed Salem of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs said: “Sudan’s transitional government needs to settle several carry-over issues and bring about accountability for past actions.” He alluded to crimes against civilians by security forces and allied militiamen during operations in the 2000s against rebels in the western Darfur region.
Mr Al Bashir and several aides were indicted nearly a decade ago by the International Criminal Court for its actions in Darfur, where the conflict killed 300,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
In a recently published paper, Atlantic Council Sudan expert Cameron Hudson wrote that while Sudan is no longer sponsoring terrorism, the ongoing presence of militants within the ranks of the country’s main security agency was one of the issues that still needed to be resolved.
He also cited the presence of foreign terrorist and rebel groups from neighbouring countries as well as activity on Sudanese territory by arms smugglers and human traffickers, as well as Khartoum’s links to Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
“Returning with the Trump administration’s confidence and a clear understanding of what the Sudanese government needs to do to unwind the web of sanctions that is choking Sudan’s economy would be a big win,” Mr Hudson wrote on Tuesday.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
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Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
