Trump: US to eliminate Sudan from terror list after payment to victims
20 October, 2020
US President Donald Trump vowed on Monday to remove Sudan from the state sponsor of terrorism list after Khartoum pays the victims of past terrorist attacks $335 million.
“New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, decided to pay $335 million to US terror victims and families,” Mr Trump announced in Twitter.
“Once deposited, I'll lift Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism list.”
The money would compensate the families of victims from the 1998 Al Qaeda attacks on the united states embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the terrorist group’s 2000 attack on the USS Cole.
Sudan’s former government under Omar Al Bashir harbored Al Qaeda members complicit on the bombings.
Victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks also have filed lawsuits against Sudan.
The Sudanese military removed Al Bashir last year after months of popular protests against his decades-long rule, prompting demands Washington to remove Khartoum from the blacklist.
US first designated Sudan as circumstances sponsor of terrorism in 1993. The three other countries on the list are Iran, Syria, and North Korea.
Sudan’s inclusion bars Khartoum from acquiring foreign assistance as the country grapples with a democratic transition, the Covid-19 pandemic and an extreme economic crisis.
Sudan's Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok. welcomed the united states President's message.
"Today, seeing that we approach the disposal of the heaviest legacy of the dictatorial regime, we affirm once more that the Sudanese persons are peace-loving persons and have never been supportive of terrorism," Mr Hamdok wrote.
The Trump administration in addition has pushed Sudan to check out the lead of the UAE and Bahrain in normalizing relations with Israel.
Former Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Haider Badawi said in August that Khartoum was considering a peace agreement with Israel.
Khartoum immediately denied the claim and dismissed Mr Badawi from his content.
Mr Hamdok repeated his opposition to normalising relations with Israel as recently as last week.
He said his transitional government didn't have the mandate to select such large foreign policy issues.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Mr Hamdok in August to discuss a possible pact with Israel.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Uganda on February for talks with Sudanese Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, chairman of the military-civilian Sovereignty Council.
Soon after that meeting, Sudan commenced allowing Israeli planes to fly in its airspace.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com