Sudan and Iran resume diplomatic relations severed seven years ago, promising to 'open embassies soon'

Report from The Associated Press (AP)

Written by JACK JEFFERY

Dated Monday, 9 October 2023; Updated 8:28 PM BST - here is a full copy:

Sudan and Iran resume diplomatic relations severed 7 years ago, promising to ‘open embassies soon’

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan and Iran announced in a joint statement Monday the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries after a seven-year hiatus.

Khartoum cut ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran. The oil-rich kingdom had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering demonstrations and severing Saudi-Iranian relations.

At the time, Sudan was a close ally of Saudi Arabia and had deployed troops to fight in the Saudi coalition against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.

“Both countries agreed to take the necessary measure to open embassies in the two countries soon,” Sudan’s foreign ministry said in an online statement.

OTHER NEWS

Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and his Sudanese counterpart, Ali al-Sadiq, met in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku in July, the first known high-level meeting between the two countries since 2016.

“The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation on different areas which can fulfill the interests of both nations and ensure security and stability in the region,” Iranian state media said, in a parallel statement.

The rapprochement comes seven months after regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in a deal brokered by China.

Iranian Presidency Office via AP

Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April when fighting erupted between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamden Dagalo.

The conflict has killed at least 5,000 and wounded more than 12,000, according to according to the United Nations. Activists and medical groups in Sudan say the figures are much higher.

View original: https://apnews.com/article/iran-sudan-diplomatic-ties-saudi-8ce7690acb75bfaff092e63713ae52c0

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Summary from BBC News Live Reporting on Tue 10 Oct 2023 at 21:00 BST

• US President Joe Biden has described Hamas' attack on Israel as an "act of pure evil"
• Biden accused the militants of "butchering" people and said Israel will have "what it needs" to respond
• Details of a massacre in an Israeli village where fighting continued until Tuesday morning have emerged
• Babies were killed in their bedrooms, says an Israeli general who has been removing bodies of adults and children from the kibbutz
• Israeli soldiers also told BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen that some of the dead had been beheaded
• The full details of atrocities carried out by Hamas are being revealed after Israel's military regained full control of the Gaza border
• Hamas has launched a fresh rocket attack on southern Israel after warning people to leave the city of Ashkelon
• Israel is also continuing its heavy bombing of Gaza; a BBC reporter there said it was the worst bombing he had seen in 20 years, with neighbourhoods flattened
• The death toll in Israel has reached 1,000 and more than 800 people have been killed in Gaza

Click here to follow BBC News Live Reporting.

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South Sudan plans to join the Non-Aligned Movement

THE Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum for 120 countries that are not formally siding with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. About 52 African nations except South Sudan and Western Sahara are NAM members. It also has 17 Observer Countries and 10 Observer organisations. Read more.

Report published at Africa-Press.net
Dated Monday 12 June 2023; 16:02 - here is a full copy:

South Sudan plans to join league of neutral nations

(Africa-Press – South-Sudan) - South Sudan’s Governance Cluster headed by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar [pictured] on Friday disclosed that the country plans to join Non-Aligned Movement.

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum for 120 countries that are not formally siding with or against any major power bloc.

After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.

It was founded in 1961 with the view of advancing the interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontation between the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union.

Cabinet Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro said on June 9, the cluster will present a draft to the Council of Ministers for approval.

Speaking to the state television SSBC, Lomuro said the cluster discussed the advantages of joining the neutral nations without disclosing the benefits.

“We wish to become a member of Non-Aligned Movement, currently chaired by Azerbaijan,” he said.

“We have discussed generally the benefit of joining us Non-Aligned Movement and in the end, we recommended this step and we presented a memo that we go to the council of ministry for final approval.”

About 52 African nations except South Sudan and Western Sahara are NAM members.

Algeria was the first African country to join the movement in 1969 while Zimbabwe was considered as the last country in Africa to be a part of the aligned in 1979.

The bloc played a crucial role in decolonization, the formation of new independent states, and the democratization of international relations.

The movement is governed by five principles: mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual non-aggression; mutual non-interference in domestic affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful co-existence.

It also has 17 Observer Countries and 10 Observer organizations.

View original: https://www.africa-press.net/south-sudan/all-news/south-sudan-plans-to-join-league-of-neutral-nations

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Post script from Sudan Watch Editor:

NAM celebrated its 60th anniversary in Belgrade on 11-12 Oct 2021. Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia. 

As per Wikipedia, Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. Here is NAM's logo. 

Image: Logo of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Credit: Wikipedia

Image: Closing ceremony of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit with the presence of members’ heads of state with an inaugural speech by supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Non-Aligned Movement celebrated its 60th anniversary in Belgrade, on 11–12 October 2021. Credit: Wikipedia

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