In the latest sign of improved relations between the two nations after the United States removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, the first US ambassador to Sudan in 25 years arrived in the country on Wednesday.
During the three-decade rule of former President Omar al-Bashir, relations between the US and Sudan were tense with the former having imposed withering sanctions on Khartoum.
The US designated Sudan as a “state sponsor of terrorism” in 1993 due to Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden living in Sudan between 1992 and 1996.
John Godfrey, the new US ambassador to Sudan, said, “I am delighted to arrive in Sudan,” in a tweet on Wednesday, adding that he looks 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.”
Godfrey “also looks forward to advancing priorities related to peace and security, economic development, and food security,” the US embassy said in a statement.
Godfrey’s arrival came as Sudan, since a military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last year, struggles to address widespread unrest and an economy that has been hard-hit.
