Foreign relations of Sudan
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Politics of Sudan}}
The foreign relations of Sudan are generally in line with the Muslim Arab world, but are also based on Sudan's economic ties with the People's Republic of China and Russia.
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Sudan maintains diplomatic relations with:
Bilateral relations
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|{{flag|Chad}} | See Chad–Sudan relations
On 23 December 2005 Chad, Sudan's neighbor to the west, declared a 'state of belligerency' with Sudan and accused the country of being the "common enemy of the nation (Chad)." This happened after the 18 December attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. A statement issued by Chadian government on 23 December, accused Sudanese militias of making daily incursions into Chad, stealing cattle, killing innocent people and burning villages on the Chadian border. The statement went on to call for Chadians to form a patriotic front against Sudan.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4556576.stm|title=Chad in 'state of war' with Sudan|date=23 December 2005|access-date=24 November 2017|work=BBC News}} On 11 May 2008 Sudan announced it was cutting diplomatic relations with Chad, claiming that it was helping rebels in Darfur to attack the Sudanese capital Khartoum{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7394422.stm|title=Sudan cuts Chad ties over attack|date=11 May 2008|access-date=24 November 2017|work=BBC News}} |
| {{Flag|Cote d'Ivoire}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 April 1975 when Ambassador of Sudan Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Ali has presented his credentials to President of Ivory Coast Houphouet - Boigny.{{Cite book |title=Africa Research Bulletin |publisher=Blackwell |year=1975 |pages=3587}} | |
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|{{flag|Egypt}} | See Egypt–Sudan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 4 January 1956 when first ambassador of Egypt to Sudan general Mahmoud Seif El-Yazal Khalifa presented his letters of credentials.{{Cite book |title=Chronologie Internationale |publisher=France. Direction de la documentation |year=1956 |pages=37 |language=fr}}{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1957 |pages=32}} Egypt and Sudan have enjoyed intimate and longstanding historical ties, seeing as they are each other's closest allies in the North African region. The two countries are connected by various cultural ties and political aspirations. In the late 1970s, Sudan showed great solidarity with Egypt in its Camp David peace initiatives with Israel. In 2008, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif urged the two countries to focus on two specific projects: the Gezira Scheme which aims to cultivate some two million acres (8,000 km2) of land in Sudan, and a joint project to improve food security in agricultural and meat production. Sudan asserts its claim to the Hala'ib Triangle, a barren area of 20,580 km2 under partial Sudanese administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899. Egypt's policy on Sudan is in favor of a united Sudan. As such Egypt was not directly involved in the Sudan Peace Process which was hosted in Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development that gave the peoples of south Sudan the right to secede and form an independent state in 2011 after the long and brutal Sudanese civil war that cumulatively lasted 22 years and claimed 2 million lives. |
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|{{flag|Ethiopia}} | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 June 1956 when accredited first Ambassador of Ethiopia to Sudan Mr. Ato Mellas M. Andom.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1957 |pages=27}}
As of 2011, good relations between Sudan and Ethiopia continued in spite of Sudan's improved ties with Eritrea.{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Shinn|first=David H.|title=Ethiopia and Eritrea|editor-last=Berry|editor1-first=LaVerle|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf|encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study|date=2015|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0|edition=5th|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=280–282|postscript=. {{PD-notice}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.}} President al-Bashir visited Addis Ababa twice in 2001. During a visit to Khartoum in 2002, Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, hailed Ethiopian–Sudanese ties. The two countries agreed to cancel entry visas and fees on traded commodities, and they stepped up plans to increase trade. Ethiopia began early in 2003 to import oil from Sudan. By 2009 Sudan supplied 80 percent of Ethiopia's demand for oil. The two nations signed an agreement ending a dispute involving their 1,600-kilometer border, and landlocked Ethiopia made plans to make greater use of Port Sudan as a transshipment point. Ethiopia, Sudan, and Yemen formed a regional group early in 2003 that they said was designed to "combat terrorism" in the Horn of Africa. Bilateral relations among countries in the Horn of Africa tended to be fickle. However, Ethiopia and Sudan continued to make progress on settling border issues. The Ethiopian prime minister and Sudanese president inaugurated a major new road link between Ethiopia and Sudan at the end of 2007. There were frequent subsequent exchange visits by Ethiopian and Sudanese leaders. Ethiopia remained wary, however, of any effort by Sudan to return to a policy supporting Islamist militancy in the region. Although Ethiopia preferred a united Sudan, it shored up its relations with South Sudan on the assumption that it would opt for secession. Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea were periodic recipients of refugees from the other countries, another potential cause of friction. Agreement on usage of Nile water reemerged as an important issue between Addis Ababa and Khartoum, while Asmara supported the Sudanese position as another way to irritate Ethiopia. |
| {{Flag|Ghana}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 20 September 1959 when has been accredited Ambassador of Ghana to Sudan Mr. Carl Senage Dey.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1960 |pages=36}} | |
| {{Flag|Guinea}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 August 1961 when first Guinean Ambassador to Sudan (resident in Cairo) Mr. Seydou Diallo, presented his credentials to Presidenr Abbud.{{Cite book |last=Yitzhak Oron |title=Middle East Record Volume 2, 1961, Volume 2 |publisher=The Moshe Dayan Center |year=1961 |pages=477}} | |
| {{Flag|Kenya}}
|See Kenya–Sudan relations. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 28 January 1965 when was accredited first ambassador of Sudan to Kenya Sayed Mohammed Mirghani.{{Cite book |title=Kenya Directory of the Diplomatic Corps of High Commissions, Embassies, Consulate-generals, Consuls, Trade Commissions, Holy See, International Organizations |publisher=Kenya Ministry of External Affairs |year=1967 |pages=101}} | |
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|{{flag|Libya}} | See Libya–Sudan relations
Relations between Sudan and Libya deteriorated in the early 1970s and reached a low in October 1981, when Libya began a policy of crossborder raids into western Sudan. Following a 1985 coup, Sudan resumed diplomatic relations with Libya.{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm|title=Sudan|access-date=24 November 2017}} Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi ended his aid to the Christian and animist, southern-based, Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) led by Garang and welcomed the incoming government of General Suwar al Dahab.{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/libya/85.htm|title=Libya - Sub-Saharan Africa|website=countrystudies.us|access-date=24 November 2017}} In July 1985, a military protocol was signed between the two countries, and Qaddafi was the first head of state to visit the new Khartoum government. Qaddafi then strongly supported Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al Mahdi, who became prime minister on 6 May 1986. However, Mahdi soon turned against Gaddafi by declaring Sudan a neutral state in both regional and global conflicts and ordered Libyan troops to leave the country. After Mahdi was overthrown in a 1989 coup d'état, the military government of Omar Al-Bashir resumed diplomatic relations with Libya, as part of a policy of improving relations with neighboring Arab states. In early 1990, Libya and the Sudan announced that they would seek "unity". This unity was never implemented and Sudanese forces ultimately participated in the military intervention that overthrew Qaddafi by securing Kufra. |
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|{{flag|Morocco}} | Sudan, under the National Islamic Font government became one of the very few states in the world that recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.{{cite web|url=http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=11765|title=アダルトまとめ 風俗・エロニュース|website=moroccotimes.com|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226210429/http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=11765|archive-date=26 February 2006|url-status=dead}} |
| {{Flag|Nigeria}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 October 1960 when Nigeria have established an embassy in Khartoum.{{Cite book |title=Parliamentary Debates |publisher=Nigeria. House of Representatives |year=1961 |pages=433}} | |
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|{{flag|South Sudan}} | See South Sudan–Sudan relations
Official diplomatic relations commenced on {{dts|2011|7|9|format=dmy}}{{cite web |title=Sudan's Bashir inaugurates North's embassy in South, calls on US to lift sanctions |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-s-Bashir-inaugurates-North-s,39482 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729100200/https://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-s-Bashir-inaugurates-North-s,39482 |archive-date=29 July 2011 |access-date=2012-03-19 |publisher=Sudantribune.com}} the day of South Sudan independence when Sudan became the first state to recognise South Sudanese independence. Although cultural and economic relations predate independence and even the civil war between the two entities. |
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=Asia=
=Europe=
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| {{Flag|European Union}}
|The European Union (EU) served as an important barometer of Western political views toward Sudan's policies and sometimes offset more critical American positions. The EU, for example, tended to be more understanding of the problems facing Sudan in resolving the crisis in Darfur. It also declined, unlike the United States, to call the killings in Darfur genocide. It engaged in constructive engagement with Sudan and was reluctant to impose sanctions, but it was willing to decrease or stop development aid in response to Khartoum's crackdowns and had imposed an arms embargo. The EU's principal concern in Sudan was humanitarian assistance, help with conflict resolution, and implementation of the CPA. Formerly, the EU collectively was the largest destination for Sudanese exports, mainly gold and gum arabic, but since at least 2000 Chinese and Japanese imports of petroleum from Sudan had surpassed the value of imports by the EU. Many EU countries had small numbers of military personnel assigned to UNMIS. | |
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|{{flag|Austria}} | See Austria–Sudan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 January 1956{{Cite book |last=Michael Th Neugebauer |title=Die österreichisch-afrikanischen Beziehungen seit 1955 Wirtschaft, Politik, Entwicklungspolitik, Kultur |publisher=Böhlau |year=1992 |pages=107 |language=de}} On 14 February 1958 has been accredited Chargé d'Affaires of Austria to Sudan Mr. Erich Hochleither.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Egypt. Maṣlaḥat al-Misāḥah |year=1958 |pages=28}} |
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|{{flag|Belarus}} | See Belarus–Sudan relations
Belarus and Sudan have maintained good relations since several decades. Belarus exports weapons and military hardware to Sudan since 1996. In 2003, Belarus supplied Sudan with nine BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, 39 BRDM-2 armoured reconnaissance vehicles, 16 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) howitzer guns, 10 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers and six BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers.{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article10280|title=Belarus reports arms sales to Sudan - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan|website=Sudan Tribune|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035015/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article10280|url-status=dead}} In 2007, a Sudanese delegation attended a Belarus arms show.{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article21868|title=Sudan, Central Asia to attend Belarus arms show - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan|website=Sudan Tribune|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032426/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article21868|url-status=dead}} In 2013, Belarus exported Su-24 planes to Sudan.{{cite web|url=https://theaviationist.com/2013/08/19/sudan-su-24/|title=Sudan gets second hand Belarusian Su-24 Fencer attack planes. And here are some photos.|date=19 August 2013|access-date=24 November 2017}} In 2017, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko visited Sudan. On this occasion, delegations signed contracts worth $50 million. In the near future Sudan plans to test a Belarusian harvester which was especially designed for the country taking into account its climate.{{cite web|url=http://eng.belta.by/economics/view/belarus-sudan-sign-50m-worth-of-contracts-in-khartoum-98018-2017/|title=Belarus, Sudan sign $50m worth of contracts in Khartoum|date=18 January 2017|access-date=24 November 2017}} Additionally, Belarus Energy Minister Vladimir Potupchik said Belarus is ready to take part in the construction and reconstruction of energy facilities in Sudan.{{cite web|url=http://eng.belta.by/economics/view/belarus-ready-to-take-part-in-sudans-construction-projects-98007-2017/|title=Belarus ready to take part in Sudan's construction projects|date=17 January 2017|access-date=24 November 2017}} Also in January 2017, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko signed in Khartoum a Comprehensive Friendship and Cooperation Agreement between the two countries.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-01/17/c_135991071.htm|title=Sudan, Belarus sign landmark deal highlighting economic boost - Xinhua - English.news.cn|agency=Xinhua News Agency|access-date=24 November 2017}} |
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|{{flag|Bulgaria}} | See Bulgaria–Sudan relations
In 1967, Bulgaria sent the first Bulgarian ambassador to Khartoum. The activities of the Bulgarian embassy in Khartoum were terminated in April 1990, and later reestablished in March 2005. In 2006 the General Consulate of the Sudan, in Sofia, Bulgaria has been upgraded to the rank of embassy.{{cite web |url = http://www.sudansof.org/HistoryDip.htm |title = Bulgarian-Sudanese Diplomatic Relations |publisher = Sudan Embassy in Bulgaria |access-date = 18 July 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110728071238/http://www.sudansof.org/HistoryDip.htm |archive-date = 28 July 2011 |url-status = dead}} |
| {{Flag|Cyprus}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 July 1962 and the first Sudanese Ambassador Sayed Husseini presented his credentials to President Makarios.{{Cite book |title=Mideast Mirror Volume 14 |publisher=Arab News Agency |year=1962 |pages=20}} | |
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|{{flag|Denmark}} | See Denmark–Sudan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 8 May 1958 when was accredited first Ambassador of Denmark to Sudan (resident in Cairo) Mr. Eggert Holten{{Cite book |title=Udenrigsministeriets kalender |publisher=Denmark. Udenrigsministeriet |year=1962 |pages=169 |language=da}}{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1960 |pages=32}} Danish-Sudanese relations are extremely poor. On 27 February 2008, Sudan decided to boycott Danish goods after the controversial Muhammad cartoons have been reprinted by a series of newspapers in Denmark and other European countries. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has backed up the country and other Muslim states, requiring them to boycott Danish products just as Sudan did. He even stated that "No Danes shall ever again be able to set foot in Sudan." Due to the tensions, the two countries have closed their embassies. |
| {{Flag|France}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 April 1956 when has been accredited Ambassador of France to Sudan Mr. Christian Auboyneau. France has had a long history as one of Sudan's principal commercial partners.{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Shinn|first=David H.|title=European Union, Britain, and France |editor-last=Berry|editor1-first=LaVerle|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf|encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study|date=2015|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0|edition=5th|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=291–292|postscript=. {{PD-notice}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.}} A French company was one of the prime contractors on the ill-fated Jonglei Canal. In the early 1980s, Sudan awarded a concession to the French oil company, TotalFinaElf, for development of the oil reserves in Block Five in South Sudan. Although the company stopped work there following the resumption of civil war, it retained the concession and initiated steps in 2004 to return. France also sided with the government of Sudan in 2004 when it asserted that the situation in Darfur should not be described as genocide. Chad, a former French colony and in recent years a country with which it had close relations, tended to influence France's view of the situation in Darfur. French policy on Darfur became more critical following the election in 2007 of President Nicolas Sarkozy. France hosted in June 2007 the United States, China, and some 15 other countries at a major conference intended to launch a new international effort to end the atrocities in Darfur. The government of Sudan, angry that it was not consulted, boycotted the conference. In recent years, France has shown less interest in Sudan while its policy seemed to depend on which official was speaking. France is hosting an international conference on Sudan on April 15, 2024, leading to a humanitarian and political crisis.{{Cite news |date=2024-04-15 |title=France hosts conference on aid to war-torn Sudan |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/04/15/france-hosts-conference-on-aid-to-war-torn-sudan_6668451_4.html |access-date=2024-04-16 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=en}} | |
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|{{flag|Russia}} | See Russia–Sudan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 January 1956.{{Cite web |title=Bilateral relations |url=https://sudan.mid.ru/en/dvustoronnie_otnosheniya/#:~:text=Diplomatic%20relations%20between%20the%20USSR,dynamics%20to%20the%20rising%20relations. |access-date=15 September 2023 |website=Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Sudan}} Russia has an embassy in Khartoum and Sudan has an embassy in Moscow. For decades, Russia and Sudan have maintained a strong economic and politically strategic partnership. Due to solidarity with both the United States and with the Soviet Union and with the allies of the two nations, Sudan declared neutrality and instead chose membership in the Non-Aligned Movement throughout the Cold War. Russo-Sudanese relations were minorly damaged when, in 1971 members of the Sudanese Communist Party attempted to assassinate then-president Gaafar Nimeiry, and Nimeiry pegged the blame on the USSR, thus enhancing Sudanese relations with the West, and were damaged again when Sudan supported the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when the USSR invaded in 1979. Due to a common enemy, diplomatic cooperation between the two countries dramatically got back on track during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Vladimir Putin was elected the President, and then the Prime Minister of Russia, and along with Chinese leader Hu Jintao opposed UN Peacekeepers in Darfur. Russia strongly supports Sudan's territorial integrity and opposes the creation of an independent Darfurian state. Also, Russia is Sudan's strongest investment partner in Europe and political ally in Europe, and Russia has repeatedly and significantly regarded Sudan as an important global ally in the African continent. For decades there have been Sudanese collegians studying in Russian universities. |
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|{{flag|Spain}} | See Spain–Sudan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 June 1956 when has been accredited Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Spain to Sudan (Resident in Cairo) Don Jose Castano y Cardona.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1957 |pages=49}} |
| {{Flag|Sweden}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 October 1957 when has been accredited Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Sudan (Resident in Addis Ababa) Dr. Bjorn Axel Eyvind Bratt.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Egypt. Maṣlaḥat al-Misāḥah |year=1959 |pages=49}} | |
| {{Flag|Switzerland}}
|Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 December 1960 when has been accredited Ambassador of Switzerland to Sudan (Resident in Cairo) Dr. Jean-Louis Pahud.{{Cite book |title=Sudan Almanac |publisher=Republic of the Sudan |year=1961 |pages=57}} | |
| {{Flag|Ukraine}} | See Sudan-Ukraine relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 4 June 1992.{{Cite web |title=Legal basis of Ukraine and Sudan |url=https://egypt.mfa.gov.ua/en/partnership/505-dogovirno-pravova-baza-mizh-ukrajinoju-ta-sudanom |access-date=15 September 2023 |website=Embassy of Ukraine to Arab Republic of Egypt}} |
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|{{flag|United Kingdom}} | See Sudan–United Kingdom relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 3 March 1956 when has been accredited Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Sudan Sir Edwin A. Chapman-Andrews. In March 2009, Sudan expelled several major foreign aid agencies including Oxfam{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-06-fg-sudan-bashir6-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |title=Sudan president dismisses international court's war crimes charges |first=Edmund |last=Sanders |date=6 March 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200903050606.html|title=Sudan: Govt Bans Aid Agencies From Darfur|first=Faatimah|last=Hendricks|date=5 March 2009|access-date=24 November 2017|via=AllAfrica}}{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5918892.ece |work=The Times |location=London |title=Leave your aid at the airport and go President alBashir tells foreign workers |first=Rob |last=Crilly |date=16 March 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and Save the Children from Darfur in response to the extradition request of Omar al-Bashir to answer ICC charges. President al-Bashir accused foreign aid workers of being "spies" and "thieves".{{cite web| url = https://www.ctvnews.ca/sudan-s-bashir-calls-expelled-aid-groups-spies-1.377176| title = CTV.ca| access-date = 14 July 2021| archive-date = 20 June 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230620161502/https://www.ctvnews.ca/sudan-s-bashir-calls-expelled-aid-groups-spies-1.377176| url-status = dead}} Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director, said of the ban "It will affect more than 600,000 Sudanese people whom we provide with vital humanitarian and development aid, including clean water and sanitation on a daily basis."[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/4940315/Sudan-expels-Oxfam-and-Mdecins-Sans-Frontires-from-Darfur-over-war-crimes-threat-to-Omar-al-Bashir.html Sudan expels Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières from Darfur over war crimes threat to Omar al-Bashir] The Daily Telegraph. 4 March 2009 Gordon Brown said in response "The humanitarian agencies that are working in Sudan should be allowed to stay there and continue their work."{{Cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/154256/Britains-PM-asks-whole-world-to-pressure-Sudan|title=Britain's PM asks 'whole world' to pressure Sudan}} In April 2009, Oxfam and other aid agencies appealed their ban{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30396|title=Aid agencies appealing eviction order by Sudan - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan|website=Sudan Tribune|date=16 March 2009|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-date=5 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175938/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30396|url-status=dead}} saying that "The expulsion is already affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of the very poorest and most vulnerable Sudanese people".{{cite web|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/962e5b08e0fbe1a8630a20814cd0f97d.htm|title=Humanitarian - Thomson Reuters Foundation News|first=Thomson Reuters|last=Foundation|website=alertnet.org|access-date=24 November 2017}} Oxfam have denied working for the ICC saying that "We don't have an agreement with the ICC, we are a humanitarian organisation and we are impartial," and "We don't have anything to do with the ICC and we don't have a position on its decision."{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/2009330175846714662.html|title=Arab leaders snub al-Bashir warrant|website=english.aljazeera.net|access-date=24 November 2017}} |
African regional organizations
Sudan is an active member of all pertinent African organizations and is a charter member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established in 1963 and headquartered in Addis Ababa.{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Shinn|first=David H.|title=Foreign relations|editor-last=Berry|editor1-first=LaVerle|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf|encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study|date=2015|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0|edition=5th|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=275–296|postscript=. {{PD-notice}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.}} During most of its time as a member of the OAU, it used its membership to keep the OAU out of the civil war. Even so, in 1994, the OAU mandated that negotiations toward ending the civil war be undertaken. Sudan consistently made its presence known in the OAU and continued to do so in its successor forum, the African Union (AU), created in 2002. In contrast to its policy of keeping the OAU out of the war in the South, Sudan accepted 8,000 AU troops in troubled Darfur (see War in Darfur), concluding that it was preferable to have an AU peacekeeping mission than one from the United Nations. However, Sudan both limited the number of AU troops and confined their role to monitoring the situation rather than engaging in more proactive peacekeeping. In mid-2007, al-Bashir finally agreed to allow UN forces to join AU peacekeeping operations in Darfur. The crisis in Darfur prevented Sudan from taking its turn in 2006 to assume the chairmanship of the AU; most AU members wanted Sudan to make more progress in ending the Darfur conflict. Subsequent indictment by the International Criminal Court further complicated al-Bashir's situation, and the AU continued to pass over his name in selecting a chairman.
Sudan is a charter member of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), established in 1996 as the successor to an earlier regional grouping. The focus of IGAD in the early 2000s was regional cooperation among its seven member states. IGAD played a critical role in ending the war between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army but otherwise was not effective in mediating regional conflicts because of serious differences among its members, especially Ethiopia and Eritrea. Sudan is a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and is one of 11 COMESA nations that had joined in a free-trade area and agreed to eliminate tariffs on goods originating in member countries. Sudan is a member of the economic union led by Libya known as the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. Sudan also belongs to the African Development Bank (ADB) and receives significant assistance from that organization. As of 2011, it had been in arrears to the ADB since 1995 but had begun making payments in order to pay down the debt. Sudan is an active member of the Nile Basin Initiative, which brought the riparian states together to discuss technical and political cooperation related to Nile water issues.
Multilateral relations
= Arab and Islamic organizations =
Sudan joined the Arab League at independence in 1956 and used the organization over the years at every possible opportunity to support its policies. Following the outbreak of conflict in Darfur in 2003 and sharp criticism of its policies by Western countries, Sudan relied on strong support from the Arab League. The Arab League opposed sanctions against Sudan, and several members provided humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the fighting. By the end of 2004, the Arab League joined the cease-fire monitoring committee for Darfur. Al-Bashir served as the Arab League chairman in 2006. Sudan joined the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1969. It sought support in the organization for activities such as the reconstruction of war-ravaged South Sudan. Like the Arab League, the OIC supported Khartoum's actions in Darfur. Sudan is also a member of a number of other Arab or Islamic regional organizations, including the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Arab Monetary Fund, and the Islamic Development Bank.
== United Nations ==
Sudan joined the United Nations in 1956, and its various institutions began almost immediately to assist Sudan. UN refugee assistance during Sudan's first civil war began in the early 1960s. In 1965 one of the South Sudanese exile organizations unsuccessfully demanded the intervention of the United Nations to end atrocities. Sudan experienced frequent criticism in UN bodies throughout the first civil war that ended in 1972. Khartoum showed great skill in using the United Nations in pursuit of its own interests. One example occurred in 1976, when Sudan accused Libya at the United Nations of supporting a failed coup attempt.
Because the country was engaged continuously in a civil war in the South until 2005 except for the period 1972–83, Sudan was the subject of many UN resolutions. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme created Operation Lifeline Sudan in 1989 to deal with the problems created in the South by drought and the civil war. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a series of reports critical of the human-rights situation in Sudan. The Security Council imposed sanctions on Sudan in May 1996 after Khartoum refused to extradite three Egyptians to Ethiopia for their alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of President Mubarak in Addis Ababa in 1995. The mild sanctions reduced the number and level of Sudanese diplomats stationed abroad. The Security Council, with the United States abstaining, removed these sanctions in August 2001. In 2005, the UN Security Council agreed to a travel ban and asset freeze on persons suspected of committing human-rights abuses in Darfur and in 2006 imposed sanctions against four Sudanese involved in Darfur atrocities. Much to the consternation of the United States, Sudan in 2004 filled an African regional seat on the United Nations Human Rights Commission. A UN commission investigating atrocities in Darfur concluded in 2005 that genocide had not occurred. It did find, however, that Khartoum and government-sponsored militias engaged in "widespread and systematic" abuse that might constitute crimes against humanity. By late 2010, the UN had two of its largest peacekeeping operations—UNMIS and UNAMID—in Sudan.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111120214016/http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1306 North/South Sudan Abyei Boundary Tribunal], including H.E. Former ICJ President Stephen M. Schwebel and H.E. Vice-president Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh and [https://web.archive.org/web/20090806194003/http://www.pca-cpa.org/upload/files/Abyei%20Final%20Award.pdf Final Abyei Boundary Award of 22 July 2009] and [https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31544&Cr=Abyei&Cr1 UNSG Ban Ki-Moon's Statement] [https://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3990 Commends the Abyei Award] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20090728171111/http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-07-23-voa6.cfm Hague Final Abyei Ruling] [http://www.euronews.net/2009/07/22/north-and-south-sudan-agree-oil-region-deal/ Raises Big Peace Hopes in Sudan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214065238/http://www.euronews.net/2009/07/22/north-and-south-sudan-agree-oil-region-deal/ |date=14 February 2010 }} and [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8162690.stm BBC] and [http://www.globalarbitrationreview.com/news/article/18363/tribunal-redraws-abyei/ GAR] and [http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/10/881.TGFuZz1FTg.html Justice Portal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163221/http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/10/881.TGFuZz1FTg.html |date=16 July 2011 }} and {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716080719/http://www.gossmission.org/goss/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=928&Itemid=1 SPLM-NPC Joint Statement on the Abyei Award's Implementation]}} and {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716080725/http://www.gossmission.org/goss/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=926&Itemid=1 USA, EU and Others Welcome PCA Verdict on Abyei]}} and [http://www.thestate.com/world/story/872906.html Ruling on Oil Region Boilsters Peace in Sudan]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120308185940/http://www.gossmission.org/goss/ GOSS]}} and [http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?mot99 Abyei Boundary Arbitration Homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102233156/http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?mot99 |date=2 January 2010 }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100602001858/http://www.pca-cpa.org/shownews.asp?ac=view&pag_id=1261&nws_id=211 3 July 2008]
- [http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article28587 UN SRSG for Sudan Praises Abyei Progress of 11 September 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123114829/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article28587 |date=23 November 2012 }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100602012942/http://www.pca-cpa.org/shownews.asp?ac=view&pag_id=1261&nws_id=212 Parties Deposit Abyei Arbitration Agreement and Designate Agents of 2 October 2008]
- [http://www.globalarbitrationreview.com/news/article/14904/dupuy-preside-sudan-dispute 31 October 2008]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100602001850/http://www.pca-cpa.org/shownews.asp?ac=view&pag_id=1261&nws_id=251 Norway's Contribution to the PCA Fund for North and South Sudan of 18 December 2008]
- [http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29937 Sudan Applauds U.S. President Obama of 22 January 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123114842/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29937 |date=23 November 2012 }} and the White House
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100602004404/http://www.pca-cpa.org/shownews.asp?ac=view&pag_id=1261&nws_id=255 the Abyei Tribunal's Schedule for the Written Pleadings and Oral Hearing]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090426185146/http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1318 Abyei Hearing Schedule, 18-23 April 2009]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163214/http://www.pca-cpa.org/upload/files/Press%20Release%2016-4-09.pdf Live Webstream]
- [http://www.globalarbitrationreview.com/news/article/15231/sudan-hearing-proceeds-following-expense-row/ Abyei Hearing Proceeds Following Expense Row of 17 April 2009]
- [http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30897 Oral Hearing of Abyei Arbitration Begin on 18 April 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123114836/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30897 |date=23 November 2012 }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090715230606/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=PressS&id=11813900 Anniversary of Comprehensive Peace Agreement Between North and South Sudan of 7 January 2009]
- [http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/ FCO]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180425045215/https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552671 Sudanese-U.S. Foreign Relations] from the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120312184049/http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/549457 Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7818734.stm BBC of 9 January 2009]
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