US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to visit Sudan in the upcoming few days, a Sudanese government official said on Sunday.
Sudan has undergone a normalisation of relations with the US since the overthrow of its former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The east African country is still seeking, however, its removal from a list of countries the US considers as sponsors of terrorism.
Pompeo is also due to visit Israel and the UAE on Monday and Tuesday, following an accord between the two countries earlier in August that is viewed as a springboard to forge full relations.
The Sudanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to give details of Pompeo’s visit.
Ending the terrorism listing is a top priority for Sudan’s transitional military-civilian ruling council and the government of technocrats that serves under it. The listing dates to 1993 and makes Sudan, struggling with a deep economic crisis, technically ineligible for debt relief and financing from international lenders.
A senior government source told Reuters last week that significant progress was expected on the issue in the coming weeks.
In February, members of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although doubt has been cast on a rapid normalisation of ties between the two countries.
Recently, Sudan sacked the Spokesperson for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week, after he called the UAE’s decision to become the third Arab country to normalise relations with Israel “a brave and bold step.”
