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African
Stream
The US recently
pulled its staff out of Khartoum - almost
exactly a year after it reopened its embassy in
the Sudanese capital.
The White House
dispatched ambassador John Godfrey to the
country after a 25-year US absence from Sudan.
Washington had put
the country on a blacklist and labelled it a
state sponsor of terrorism for hosting Osama bin
Laden - a man the US supported and funded in
Afghanistan to fight the Russians, but that's
another story!
US diplomatic staff
and their families were hurriedly evacuated from
Sudan after vicious fighting between the RSF
militia and the Sudanese army put the country on
the brink of all-out civil war.
Online speculation
sees no coincidence in the fact that Sudan is in
flames a year after the US’s return to the
country - nor in the timing of its rapid
departure. It reminds some of an old joke:
why are there no coups in America?
Because there are no US embassies there!
People also point to Washington’s ire at
plans to build a Russian naval base in Port
Sudan and the warning given by US Ambassador
John Godfrey against the move last September.
One thing is sure.
Khartoum never witnessed this level of
violent escalation in its 25 years of being free
of a US embassy. Conclude from that what
you will.
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