The United States of America on Monday announced that it will remove Sudan from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) after the Sudanese government agreed to compensate American terror victims.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday after intense negotiations, that the Sudanese government agreed to pay a $335m settlement to victims of al-Qaeda attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.
“GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to US terror victims and families. Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, JUSTICE for the American people and BIG step for Sudan!” President Trump said in a tweet.
Removing Sudan from the SST will make it easy for the Sudanese government to seek international help and normalize relations with Israel.
The US government listed Sudan in its SST in 1993 after accusing al-Bashir’s government of supporting “terrorist” groups rendering the government ineligible for debt relief and international financial support.
Expressing his gratitude shortly after Trump’s tweet, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok tweeted, “Thank you so much, President Trump! We very much look forward to your official notification to Congress rescinding the designation of Sudan as a state-sponsor of terrorism, which has cost Sudan too much.”
Since coming to power in August last year after the military ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council has been negotiating with the Trump administration for the delisting of Sudan from the SST.
John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry has welcomed the delisting but called for further reforms to address Sudan’s former regime’s entrenched corruption and illicit financial flows.
“In order to support the transition to a fully civilian-led democracy, Congress must now pass legislation to restore Sudan’s sovereign immunity and end its longstanding status as a pariah state. The United States can also help through direct assistance, the promotion of responsible investment, and the targeting of corrupt networks in Sudan that continue to exploit the international financial system," he said in a statement to newsrooms.
Iran, Syria, and North Korea are the only countries remaining in the SST.