US and Sudan move to mend fences

The prospects for improved relations between the US and Sudan have taken a major step forward with the announcement that the transitional government in Khartoum has named veteran diplomat Noureldin Sati to serve as its ambassador in Washington. The appointment, which has been approved by Washington, ends more than 20 years of top-level diplomatic estrangement between the two countries and reflects steadily warming relations since the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir last year. Voice of America reports that the Sudanese Embassy remains temporarily closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and offers only a telephone line for consular affairs. Analysts have welcomed the announcement and predicted progress on key issues, most notably Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the move was both symbolic and practical and would ‘enable the two countries to address outstanding issues in the bilateral relationship’.