Govt has no mandate to normalize ties with Israel, Sudan PM tells US

Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok has told the US Secretary of State that his government has no mandate to normalize relations with Israel.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Sudan following a visit to Israel, the first direct official flight between the United States and Sudan in a row.

Pompeo has arrived in Sudan to promote US-Sudan relations, and he met with Prime Minister Hamdok and Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Burhan.

After the meeting he tweeted that he met with Sudanese Prime Minister today in Khartoum to underscore U.S. support for Sudan’s democratic transition and discuss Sudan’s commitment to deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship.

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Pleased to meet with Sudanese Prime Minister @SudanPMHamdok today in Khartoum to underscore U.S. support for Sudan’s democratic transition and discuss Sudan’s commitment to deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship. pic.twitter.com/jVDOG75qzt

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 25, 2020

In another Tweet he said, “Met with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Burhan to reaffirm U.S. support for the civilian-led transitional government and support for the deepening Israel-Sudan bilateral relationship.”

Met with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Burhan to reaffirm U.S. support for the civilian-led transitional government and support for the deepening Israel-Sudan bilateral relationship. pic.twitter.com/kwQ9BlsgeK

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— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 25, 2020

Sudan is currently facing an economic crisis and Sudanese officials are demanding that the United States remove them from the list of terrorist countries because they cannot borrow from the international community to solve their problems.

Following Pompeo’s recent visit, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a historic agreement under which relations between the two countries have been restored and Israel is now likely to be recognized by more Arab countries.

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In February, Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Burhan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda, which was condemned by thousands of Sudanese protesters.

The protest erupted after the meeting and the Sudanese prime minister explained that there was no prospect of an immediate resumption of relations between Sudan and Israel and that Israeli planes began flying over Sudan after the statement.

In Sudan, relations with Israel are considered a sensitive issue, as Sudan’s relations with Israel have been strained under former rulers.

Last week, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman was fired after the UAE’s decision to restore ties with Israel was called “a brave and bold step”.

In a meeting with Mike Pompeo, Abdullah Hamdok said the interim government did not have a mandate to restore relations with Israel and that the issue would be resolved once the process was completed.

The governing council and the government have yet to be formed to work with the government.

Sudanese government spokesman Faisal Saleh said the prime minister had met with the US administration and officials to keep Sudan off the list of countries supporting terrorism and to separate relations with Israel.

It should be noted that the United States imposed sanctions on Sudan in 2017 due to its support for terrorist groups and the civil war in Darfur.