US Approves Sudan Ambassador, First in 23 Years

US approves a Sudan ambassador, the first in 23 years. (AFP)
US approves a Sudan ambassador, the first in 23 years. (AFP)
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US Approves Sudan Ambassador, First in 23 Years

US approves a Sudan ambassador, the first in 23 years. (AFP)
US approves a Sudan ambassador, the first in 23 years. (AFP)

Sudan announced Monday that the United States had approved Khartoum's pick of a veteran diplomat as ambassador to Washington, the first such envoy in over two decades.

Ties between Khartoum and Washington had been strained during the three-decade rule of Omar al-Bashir, but eased after he was ousted by the army last year following mass protests.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited Washington in December and the two countries agreed to exchange envoys.

In a statement, Sudan's foreign ministry said Monday "the US government approved the nomination of Nour Eddin Satti as an ambassador and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Sudan."

A veteran diplomat, Satti served as Sudan's ambassador to France in the 1990s and later worked with United Nations peacekeeping missions in Congo and Rwanda.

Monday's step of recognizing Satti as Sudan's first to Washington since 1998 comes as part of "normalizing relations" between Khartoum and Washington, the ministry said.

Sudan is currently ruled by a transitional administration that took power in August last year after Bashir's fall.

During Bashir’s rule, Washington slapped sanctions on Sudan and designated the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Hamdok's government has sought to bolster its international standing and mend ties with the US.

In February, Khartoum agreed to compensate the families of American victims of a suicide bombing targeting navy destroyer USS Cole in Yemen's Aden harbor in 2000.

The attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda.

The US had for years accused Sudan, which once hosted the global network's leader Osama bin Laden, of training and supporting the attackers.

Sudan always denied the charges but agreed to the settlement to fulfil a key US condition to remove it from Washington's terrorism blacklist.

The 1993 designation by Washington has decimated Sudan's economy.



Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
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Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he hoped talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will be "straightened out" this week.

The US is backing a 60-day ceasefire with a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and talks to end the conflict. Trump told reporters, "We are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week."

On Sunday, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people, including six children at a water collection point, while the Palestinian death toll passed 58,000 after 21 months of war, local health officials said.
Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in indirect talks meant to pause the war and free some Israeli hostages after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington visit last week. A sticking point has emerged over Israeli troops ' deployment during a ceasefire.
Israel says it will end the war only once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, about 20 said to be alive, in exchange for the war's end and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.