Struggling Sudan eyes fruit of Israel deal
‘ WE SHOULD NOT REMAIN CAPTIVES TO THE PAST’
Sudan’s agreement to normalise ties with Israel after decades of enmity nourishes Sudanese hopes for pumping badly needed investments and technology into the country’s ailing economy.
Sudan’s development has felt the brunt of the longtime regime of autocrat Omar Al Bashir who was ousted by the army in April last year after months of street protests against economic woes. Al Bashir, who forged alliances with notorious militant groups, governed Sudan for about 30 decades of oppression and impoverishment.
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced the normalisation pact between Israel and Sudan shortly after he signed a waiver to remove the latter’s name from Washington’s blacklist of the states sponsoring terrorism. In 1993, the US included Sudan in the terror list to punish Al Bashir’s regime for its links with Al Qaeda and other radical groups.
Inflowof global business
Both the normalisation deal and the supportive US move are widely expected to ease the post- Bashir burden on Sudan, encouraging an inflow of global business and technology transfermainly in agriculture.
“This is a historical day for our peoplewhofor 27 years suffered from being on the # SSTL. We thank @ realDonaldTrump for taking us off this list. We nowhope tomove forwardwith our country and build balanced international relationships for a Sudan of Freedom, Peace and Justice,” Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, the deputy chief of the ruling Sovereignty Council, tweeted in English.
Even before the US- mediated pact was announced, a Sudanese alliance of civil society
groups called for expediting normal is at ion with Israel.
“Setting up ties with Israel does not mean giving up the Palestinians’ rights,” said Amir Fayet, the head of a popular pro- normalisation initiative. “We shouldn’t remain captives to the past and isolationist ideologies. There isn’t any justification preventing normal is at ion with Israel ,” he told a press conference in Khartoum earlier this month when the initiative was launched.