Middle East Monitor / December 17, 2020
Sudan has revoked the citizenship of the former leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, along with more than 3,500 other foreign-born individuals. Such citizenships were granted to “influential personalities” by the regime of former President Omar Al-Bashir, local media have reported.
Earlier this week, the Sudanese authorities also suspended all visa-free entry procedures for Syrians and other. They must all now obtain a visa prior to arriving at the border. Critics say that this is due to the country turning towards Western-style secularism.
The Sudanese have taken these steps following the country’s removal from the US list of states which support terrorism. This was a condition of Sudan’s normalisation with the occupation state of Israel.
Al-Bashir was removed from power following several months of violent anti-regime protests in 2019. A special committee was formed to examine the passports issued during Al-Bashir’s time in office after allegations surfaced that some were being sold for $10,000 to $15,000 each.
