26th January 2021 Khartoum, Sudan
I leave Sudan at the end of my posting this week. When I arrived in Sudan in April 2018, I could not have imagined that I would see the historic change that I have. With a dictatorship that had weathered the Arab Spring and was approaching its 30th year in power, prospects for change seemed […]
30th December 2019 Khartoum, Sudan
With the 17 August agreement, Sudan entered a new era. The signing of a constitutional charter to govern the transition, the formation of a Sovereign Council and the appointment of Prime Minister Hamdok and his civilian cabinet puts new, primarily civilian leaders in charge of running the country. The change has been immediate. Prime Minister […]
9th October 2019 Tripoli, Libya
By way of introduction, I am Nicholas Hopton the new Chargé d’Affairs at the British Embassy Tripoli. I am delighted to take up this job at such a crucial time. There is a lot of important work to do to improve the situation in your country. The top three things I’m focussing on are: Ending […]
4th September 2019 Khartoum, Sudan
Protestors took to the streets of Sudan in December 2018 calling passionately for change. Their persistence led in April 2019 to the removal of former President Bashir. But what followed was not civilian rule but a tense period of political negotiations and sometimes confrontation with the Transitional Military Council that assumed power. This period saw […]
30th April 2019 Khartoum, Sudan
I marked my one year anniversary as the British Ambassador to Sudan this week. When I started this job, I could not have imagined finding myself in the situation we are in now. Sudan had experienced 30 years of authoritarian rule. These were 30 years of conflict and secession, of repression and extremism, of sanctions […]
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6th February 2019 Beirut, Lebanon
The Embassy has been celebrating in recent weeks. There was a Wedding – on Saturday night a colleague married, the couple looked radiant, and the party was full of Lebanese life. We’ve had an award from Her Majesty The Queen, who at New Year recognised Lea Baroudi of MARCH for her inspiration in creating peace, […]
27th November 2018 Tripoli, Libya
“The meetings in Aberdeen, in May, and this week in Tunis, have shown that the UK is a key partner for Libya in boosting oil production,” Mustafa Sanalla, Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), said at the recent trade mission hosted in Tunis by the Libyan British Business Council (LBBC). I could not have […]
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19th October 2018 Beirut, Lebanon
As Fayruz says….. bhebak ya lebnan. “Ahla wa sahla saadet el safir” said my welcoming team at the airport – “shoukran, please call me Chris, and do speak to me in Arabic” I said back. That was only 5 weeks ago – it seems much further back. Lebanon has a reputation for outstanding hospitality, stunning […]
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16th June 2017 Beirut, Lebanon
في كلّ مرّة يضرب فيها الإرهاب، نردّد في أنفسنا ذاك الشعار المطمئن أنّ الإرهابيون لن ينتصروا … وهم فعلاً لن ينتصروا. ولكن في مرحلة ما، تشعر أنّ ذاك الشعار فارغ. فالإرهابيون، وللأسف، يستمرّون بالقتل ونشر الخوف في مناطق عدّة من العالم. ولن تفارق الهجمات الأخيرة والتجربة الفظيعة التي طالت وستمنستر ومنشستر وجسر لندن بال الناجين […]