Room for Peace
עבריתالعربيةEnglish

Abraham Accords and normalization ·

Sudan and the Abraham Accords

A normalization that was announced and never concluded. Sudan signed the general declaration of principles of the Abraham Accords, with the United States; no bilateral agreement between Israel and Sudan was ever signed.

In 30 seconds

In October 2020 Trump announced that Sudan would normalize relations with Israel, and on 6 January 2021 Sudan's justice minister signed the Abraham Accords Declaration in Khartoum1. No agreement between Israel and Sudan was signed and no embassies opened3. The 2021 coup and the war since 2023 halted the process.

Where it stands today

As of October 2026 Sudan is on record as a signatory of the Declaration, but normalization itself is frozen: there is no bilateral agreement, there are no embassies, and the war in Sudan continues34.

In one sentence

To move Sudan from hostility toward Israel to official relations, alongside its removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The challenge

Sudan spent many years on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sudan's government sought to leave the list and regain international financing, and that step was tied to normalization with Israel1.

The leadership was divided: according to one report, Sudan's military and civilian leaderships disagreed over normalization2.

The road there

  1. Trump announces that Sudan will normalize relations with Israel1.
  2. The United States completes Sudan's removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism1.
  3. Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signs the Declaration in Khartoum, alongside US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin1.
  4. A military coup overthrows the government3.
  5. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen meets Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Khartoum; Sudan says it was agreed to move forward toward normalization2.
  6. War breaks out in Sudan and the process stops3.
  7. A Washington Institute analysis notes that al-Burhan again cited the accession to the accords in an article in an American newspaper4.

The people

Mediated
Donald Trump

What was announced and what was signed

  • Announced: an intention to normalize relations between Sudan and Israel1.
  • Signed: the Abraham Accords Declaration, a general document of principles on peace, coexistence and cooperation, with no operative obligations51.
  • Signed the same day, separately: a memorandum of understanding between Sudan and the United States on bridge financing to clear Sudan's arrears to the World Bank, opening access to more than a billion dollars a year1.
  • Not signed: a bilateral agreement between Israel and Sudan3.

Read the document

The geography

100%
Map of the region by type of relations with IsraelEgyptJordanUAEBahrainMoroccoSudanSyriaLebanonSaudi ArabiaIsraelPalestinians

Choose a country on the map or in the list. Use + and − to zoom. On touch screens, enable gestures to drag and pinch; scroll the page outside the map. Keyboard: arrows to pan, + and − to zoom, Home to reset.

Layers · Legend
  • Peace treaty in force
  • Normalization (Abraham Accords)
  • Announced, not concluded
  • Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
  • Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
  • No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

  • Israel
  • Peace treaty in force
  • Normalization (Abraham Accords)
  • Announced, not concluded
  • Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
  • Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
  • No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

  • Normalization was tied to an American incentive: removal from the terrorism list and access to international financing1.
  • The move was made with a government that did not last: in October 2021 it was overthrown in a coup3.

Where accounts differ

According to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Peace and cooperation are the only path to stability in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, and Sudan joined the accords in 20214.
According to A Washington Institute analysis
Both warring sides in Sudan use normalization to gain international legitimacy, and it is more about political survival than about peace4.

What was carried out

  • Sudan was removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism in December 20201.
  • Sudan signed the Abraham Accords Declaration on 6 January 20211.

What was not

  • No bilateral agreement with Israel was signed, not even after the visit to Khartoum in February 202323.
  • No embassies were opened and no diplomatic relations were established3.

What remains open

  • The war that broke out in April 2023 produced the world's worst humanitarian crisis in 2025, with more than 12 million people displaced, according to the Washington Institute4.
  • According to the Middle East Institute, Sudan has since drawn closer to Iran3.

Sources

  1. Press Al Jazeera · 6 January 2021
    Sudan signs deal to normalise relations with Israel
  2. Press The Times of Israel · 2 February 2023
    Israel's foreign minister in Sudan for normalization talks
  3. Research Middle East Institute · 20 April 2026
    The Abraham Accords (backgrounder)
  4. Research The Washington Institute for Near East Policy · 17 December 2025
    Burhan Is Using Sudan-Israel Normalization to Secure His Power (Areig Elhag)
  5. Primary U.S. Department of State
    The Abraham Accords (text of the Declaration and index of the signed documents)

Further reading