Sudan strongly protests US travel ban

THE US Charge d’Affaires to Sudan was summoned by Sudan’s Foreign Ministry in Khartoum on Sunday in protest over American President Donald Trump’s ban on Sudanese nationals entering the US.

Steven Koutsis was asked to explain Trump’s Saturday decision to ban nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen on the grounds of security.

Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir said Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani Al Naim had expressed to Koutsis his government’s resentment over the ban.

He described the move as a “negative signal” in light of the recent positive developments in relations between the two countries following the easing of economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.

In September, the US State Department had praised Sudan’s counter-terrorism co-operation with the US. Al Naim said Khartoum was keen to continue dialogue and co-operation with the Americans and hoped that Washington would soon remove Sudan from the list of states that the former alleges sponsor terrorism. – ANA