US Secretary of State calls Sudan’s PM Hamdok to discuss democratic transition

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held discussions of the telephone yesterday evening regarding the democratic transition, the appointment of civilian parliament and state governors, and the removal of Sudan from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

In a statement from Washington, US State Dept spokesperson Morgan Ortagus confirmed that Pompeo and Hamdok reaffirmed the importance of a successful democratic transition in Sudan and the importance of moving forward with appointment of a Transitional Legislative Council and civilian governors.

The Secretary reiterated US support for the civilian-led transitional government and its efforts to build a lasting peace in Sudan, Ortagus said.

“The two leaders continued discussions regarding the policy and statutory requirements for consideration of rescission of Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation.”

Secretary Pompeo and PM Hamdok discussed the Covid-19 global pandemic and US-Sudanese cooperation to combat the virus.

On this twitter feed, Secretary Pompeo said he was “Pleased to speak today with Sudan’s PM Hamdok to discuss progress in Sudan’s democratic transition. We are committed to supporting the civilian-led transitional government and their pursuit of a lasting peace in Sudan.”

As reported by Radio Dabanga last month, a delegation from the US Treasury Department met with PM Hamdok and Minister of Foreign Affairs Asmaa Abdallah on March 2 to discuss removing Sudan from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

The US delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary Marshall Billingsley. He said that the removal of Sudan from the US list of State Sponsors Terrorism is a matter of time. There are committees working in this regard, he said. He hoped that Sudan “can be removed from the list soon”.

The presence of Sudan’s name on the list of terrorism-sponsoring countries prevents the Sudanese from making financial transfers with international financial institutions. The US government has already lifted some economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.

The talks focused on supporting Sudan’s transitional government to implement its programmes, especially in the areas of peace and the economy.

The US list of State Sponsors Terrorism currently includes Syria (1979), Iran (1984), Sudan (1993) and North Korea (2017).