US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (L) and Sudanese Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari sign the so-called Abraham Accords in Khartoum on January 6, 2021. (Via twitter)

Sudan has signed the so-called Abraham Accords with the United States, officially agreeing to normalize relations with the Israeli regime.

Sudan’s Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signed the document with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Khartoum on Wednesday, according to a statement from the office of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

The signing came just over two months after US President Donald Trump said Israel and Sudan had opened economic ties as a pathway toward normalized ties.

He announced the deal in the Oval Office on October 23 while on a conference call with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Hamdok and Sudan’s Sovereign Council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Political parties in Sudan denounced the government’s decision to normalize relations with Israel at the time it was announced. The Popular Congress Party, the second most prominent component of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) political coalition, said the people were not obligated to accept the accord.

Angry protesters took to the streets to condemn the normalization with Israel.

As part of the agreement, Sudan was removed from a US government list of countries allegedly promoting terrorism after Khartoum paid Washington $335 million in ransom.

Also on Wednesday, Sudan’s Acting Finance Minister Hiba Ahmed and Mnuchin signed a memorandum of understanding in Khartoum to provide a same-day bridge financing facility to clear Sudan’s arrears to the World Bank, her office said in a statement.

This move will enable Sudan to regain access to over $1 billion in annual financing from the World Bank for the first time in 27 years, the statement added.

With more than $60 billion in foreign debt, Sudan has been struggling with a huge budget deficit and widespread shortages of essential goods.

In a post on its Twitter account, the US embassy in Khartoum said, We congratulate the civilian-led transitional government on its signature today of the Abraham Accords Declaration, which will help further Sudan on its transformative path to stability, security, and economic opportunity.

The agreement allows Sudan, Israel and other signers of the Abraham Accords to build mutual trust and increase cooperation in the region, it claimed.

Mnuchin’s visit to Sudan was the first by a senior American official since the Trump administration removed the African country from the US terror blacklist.

He met with Hamdok, and is scheduled to meet with other Sudanese leaders including Burhan.

Mnuchin was in Khartoum at a time when our bilateral relations are taking historical leaps towards a better future. We’re planning to make tangible strides today as our relations enter a #NewEra, Hamdok tweeted.

Sudan became the third of four Arab countries to agree to sign on to the US-brokered normalization accords, following the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and before Morocco.

Palestinians have condemned the peace pacts with the Tel Aviv regime as a treacherous stab in the back of their cause against the Israeli occupation.

Mnuchin’s visit to Sudan was the first by a senior American official since Trump’s administration removed the African country from the US terror blacklist.

He met with Hamdok, and is scheduled to meet with other Sudanese leaders including Burhan.

Mnuchin was in Khartoum at a time when our bilateral relations are taking historical leaps towards a better future. We’re planning to make tangible strides today as our relations enter a #NewEra, Hamdok tweeted.

Sudan became the third of four Arab countries to agree to sign on to the US-brokered normalization accords, following the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and before Morocco.

Palestinians have condemned the peace pacts with the Tel Aviv regime as a treacherous stab in the back of their cause against the Israeli occupation.

In October, angry Sudanese protesters took to the streets to condemn the normalization with Israel, with the Popular Congress Party, the second most prominent component of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) political coalition, saying the people were not obligated to accept the accord.