President Donald Trump has announced the decision of the United States of America to rescind Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, lifting the 23-year-old sanction imposed on the West African state following a series of steps by Khartoum, including settling a $335 million compensation claim to victims of terror attacks.
By that announcement, Sudan once again qualifies to enter business deals with the US and major Western firms, something the sanctions imposed in 1997 prevented. Khartoum will now be free to seek credit from major global lenders, invite investors to the country and buy spare parts to renovate its ageing industries.
Sudan led by the new transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok won back the goodwill of the US by meeting a number of conditions which included depositing a sum of $335 million for compensation of survivors and family members of anti-US attacks that took place when ousted President Omar al-Bashir’s regime welcomed Al-Qaeda; attacks including twin bomb blast at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.
In a statement on officially announcing the end of the sanctions on Monday, US President Donald Trump said, “The Government of Sudan has not provided any support for acts of international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period.”
He added, “The Government of Sudan has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
The US also pushed Sudan to establish relations with Israel and the country had to agree to a step by step plan to establish democratic institutions there.
