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The news of the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel occupied the forefront of social media in Sudan and some Arab countries.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that Sudan agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
Following the agreement, and after Khartoum agreed to pay compensation of $ 335 million to the families of Americans who died in terrorist attacks and bombings, Trump informed Congress of his decision to remove Sudan from the American list of states sponsoring terrorism.
The Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdullah Hamdok, thanked Trump for “signing the executive order to remove Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism,” adding: “We look forward to foreign relations that best serve the interests of our people.”
Sudanese against normalization
The normalization agreement with Israel divided the Sudanese street on social media between supporters and opponents.
Discussions centered on the feasibility of normalization and the extent to which Sudan would benefit from it.
Among the hashtags that the tweeters traded, the hashtag # Sudanese_Against_naturalization appeared, which was the most widespread and interactive.
Activists expressed their anger at the agreement and their rejection of the blackmail to which Sudan was subjected by the condition of normalization to be removed from the list of terrorism.
Some questioned the authority of the transitional government to conclude an agreement of the size of normalization without the approval of an elected parliament.
Others took a picture showing a Sudanese passport holder’s travel ban to Israel.
Munir Seif saw normalization as a prelude to and a coup d’etat for military rule led by Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan over the people’s will and America’s control of Sudan’s waters and coasts.
On the other hand, others considered that Sudan’s interest prevails over anything else, and Sudan’s interest is “in lifting sanctions and economic recovery,” and this is what the normalization agreement achieves.
Musab considered that he supports normalization “as long as it guarantees our interest,” and asked : ‘Why should I stop my country’s progress for a cause that will not feed the hungry in my country? .
As for Muhammad Ibrahim, he believed that the dispute with Israel did not bring Sudan “except marginalization and sanctions, unlike the rest of the countries that normalized.”
Others considered that Sudan is compelled to normalize under international pressure, and wondered about the reason for “arrogance in the matter in light of Sudan’s economic and military weakness.”
Some fear that the announcement of normalization threatens the political agreement that led to the sharing of power between the army and the civilian forces in the country.
Sudan is governed by the Military Sovereignty Council and the government of Hamdok, which represents the civil movement, as a result of an agreement signed between them in April 2019.
The transitional phase will be concluded with elections in 2022.
