Sudan has followed in the footsteps of Bahrain and the UAE, agreeing on 23 October to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. The move came after Sudan came under heavy pressure from the US, which at the same time removed Sudan from its State Sponsor of Terrorism List. Sudan’s presence on this list since 1993 has essentially prevented it from accessing the global financial system.

Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, was also persuaded to hand over $335mn in compensation to US victims of terror attacks on US embassies in East Africa in 1998 and on a US warship off Yemen in 2000. Sudan’s then President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown last year (MEES, 19 July 2019). Sudan’s current transitional government is headed up by prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. (CONTINUED - 175 WORDS)