Sudan is to close 13 diplomatic missions internationally following the government’s failure to pay the salaries of its diplomats for more than seven months.
In a presidential decree released late on Wednesday night, President Omar Al Bashir ordered the closure of 13 embassies and four consulates, the Sudan Tribune reported.
Bashir further directed that the remaining embassies were to downsize to having only one diplomat holding the rank of ambassador with the exception of four embassies.
The presidential decree further stated that all economic and commercial attaches, with the exception of the one in Abu Dhabi which is preparing for Sudan’s participation in the Expo 2020, would be closed.
All of Sudan’s media offices abroad and the media attaché sections, with the exception of those in three countries, will also shut down.
The huge economic cost generated by the expansion of the country’s diplomatic presence in Asia and Africa, as part of the government’s efforts to break international and regional isolation, are behind the sweeping moves.
Last month foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour was dismissed by Bashir because he publicly disclosed that Sudanese diplomats hadn’t received their salaries for seven months.
- African News Agency (ANA)
