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Sudan
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The 1989 coup accelerated the trend in Sudan's foreign policy
of turning away from traditional allies, such as Egypt and the
United States. This trend had begun following the overthrow of
Nimeiri's government in 1985. As prime minister, one of Sadiq
al Mahdi's foreign policy objectives was to ease the strain that
had characterized relations with Ethiopia, Libya, and the Soviet
Union during the latter years of Nimeiri's rule. Nevertheless,
the country's need for foreign economic assistance to deal with
the consequences of drought and civil war generally curtailed
the extent to which foreign relations could be realigned.
The Persian Gulf crisis and subsequent war in 1991 caught Sudan
in an awkward position. Although Khartoum's officially stated
position was one of neutrality, the unofficial government position
was one of sympathy for Iraq, stemming largely from a sense of
appreciation for the military assistance Baghdad had provided
since 1989. Sudan's failure to join the anti-Iraq coalition infuriated
Saudi Arabia, which retaliated by suspending much-needed economic
assistance, and Egypt, which responded by providing aid to opponents
of the Bashir regime. After the RCC-NS sent the deputy leader
of the NIF to the Islamic Conference in Baghdad that Iraqi President
Saddam Husayn organized in January 1991, Egypt withdrew its ambassador
from Khartoum. The RCC-NS's efforts to maintain close relations
with Iraq resulted in Sudan's regional isolation.
Data as of June 1991
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