First US Ambassador to Sudan in 25 Years Lands in Khartoum

US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (US State Department)
US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (US State Department)
TT
20

First US Ambassador to Sudan in 25 Years Lands in Khartoum

US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (US State Department)
US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (US State Department)

John Godfrey landed in Khartoum on Wednesday to assume the position of the first US ambassador to Sudan in almost 25 years.

“Ambassador John Godfrey arrived today in Khartoum, the first US Ambassador to Sudan in nearly 25 years,” the US embassy said in a statement.

“Godfrey will work to strengthen relations between the American and Sudanese people and to support their aspirations to freedom, peace, justice, and a transition to democracy… He also looks forward to advancing priorities related to peace and security, economic development, and food security,” it added.

Godfrey is the first US ambassador appointed to Khartoum since 1996. He is fluent in Arabic, and served as the Acting Coordinator of Counterterrorism and Acting Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS in the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism. He also worked as a political advisor at the US Embassy in Riyadh, and as a political official at the US Embassy in Damascus.

“I am delighted to arrive in Sudan,” Godfrey said in a tweet on Wednesday. “I look forward to deepening relations between Americans and Sudanese and to supporting the Sudanese people’s aspirations to freedom, peace, justice, and a transition to democracy.”

In the hearing held by Congress to ratify his post, the US diplomat said that the resumption of development aid to Sudan was linked to a democratic, civilian-led and credible transition process.

He added that the United States would use all available tools to support the Sudanese people in their quest for a democratic and prosperous Sudan in which human rights are respected.

In response to a question by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who introduced a legislation to sanction Sudan’s military leaders, the candidate ambassador did not rule out imposing sanctions of this kind, saying that sanctions were an important tool to reveal the names involved, and push for a change of attitudes.

But he added that he wanted to study their impact on the actions of the army leaders and their financial resources, and on the Sudanese economy, and how they would relate to the US diplomatic strategy in general.



Influential Far-right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza War Policy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
TT
20

Influential Far-right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza War Policy

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a "grave mistake" that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel's military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his "next steps" but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition, Reuters reported.

Smotrich's comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

"... the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas," Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as "logistical support for the enemy during wartime".

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

PRESSURE

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.