US Suspends Abraham Accords Aid for Sudan, Wants Israel to Denounce Coup

Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize in October 2020, but full diplomatic relations haven't yet been established

The US has suspended aid to Sudan’s post-coup government, including assistance awarded to Sudan for agreeing to normalize with Israel as part of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.

“The United States is not moving forward at this time with assistance originally committed to Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government in connection with its efforts to improve Sudan’s bilateral relationship with Israel,” a State Department spokesman told The Times of Israel.

The spokesman said that other aid not related to the Israeli normalization deal was also suspended and said the US wants Israel to call for a restoration of democracy in Sudan. “We strongly encourage the State of Israel to join us and the broader international community in vocally pressing for Sudan’s military leaders to cede power to a credible civilian-led transitional government,” he said.

Since the military coup in Sudan that took place last fall, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has run the country. Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize relations in October 2020, but full diplomatic relations haven’t yet been established.

While the US wants Israel to call for democracy in Sudan, the other countries Israel normalized with under the Abraham Accords — the UAE and Bahrain — are monarchies. Israel has also had diplomatic relations with Egypt for decades, which is led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who came to power after a coup in 2013. Despite the coup in Egypt, Cairo is still one of the top recipients of US military aid.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.