Sudanese ambassador appointed to the United States, a first in more than two decades

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Step by step, Washington and Khartoum are getting closer, and at the same time, Sudan returns to the concert of nations. The United States has agreed to receive a Sudanese ambassador to its soil for the first time since the mid-1990s.

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With our regional correspondent in Nairobi, Sébastien Nemeth

Noureldin Sati, newly appointed to Washington, is an experienced diplomat. He was notably ambassador to France in the 1990s, before working with the UN peacekeeping missions in Congo and Rwanda.

The announcement of his designation was anticipated. In December, after a historic visit by Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the upcoming exchange of ambassadors.

Researcher Cameron Hudson is now calling on the Americans to do the same, including "  supporting and building relationships with the civilian power in Khartoum."  "

Merger with Washington, a priority

This appointment contrasts after several decades of tumultuous relationships. In 1993, the United States put Sudan on its list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Three years later, they had closed their embassy in Khartoum for fear of an attack. Since then, relations had never exceeded the level of charge d'affaires.

But the fall of the Sudanese dictator Omar el-Béchir changed the situation. Prime Minister Hamdok has made rapprochement with Washington a priority. He is also pushing for his country to no longer be seen as supporting terrorism, which would allow him to access aid from international financial institutions and relieve his economy in crisis.

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  • Sudan
  • United States
  • Abdalla Hamdok

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