Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The United States has formally removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism blacklist , its Khartoum embassy said Monday , less than two months after the East African nation pledged to normalise ties with Israel.
The move opens the way for aid , debt relief and investment to a country going though a rocky political transition and struggling under a severe economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid- 19 pandemic.
US President Donald Trump had announced in October that he was delisting Sudan, 27 years after Washington first put the country on its blacklist for harbouring Islamist militants.
“ The congressional notification period of 45 days has lapsed and the Secretary of State has signed a notification stating rescission of Sudan ’ s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation, ” the US embassy said on Facebook , adding that the measure “ is effective as of today” .
In response to the move , Sudan’ s army chief General Abdel Fattah al -Burhan — who doubles as the head of the Sovereign Council , the country’ s highest executive authority — offered his “ congratulations to the Sudanese people” .
“ It was a task accomplished… in the spirit of the December revolution” , he said on Twitter , referring to a landmark month in 2018 when protests erupted against dictator Omar al -Bashir .
Bashir was deposed by the military in April 2019, four months into the demonstrations against his iron-fisted rule and 30 years after an Islamist backed coup had brought him to power .
– ‘ Global siege lifted ’ –
Sudan’ s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also welcomed Washington ’ s move in a post on Facebook , noting that it means “ our beloved country … ( is) relieved from the international and global siege” provoked by Bashir ’ s behaviour .
The removal of the designation “ contributes to reforming the economy, attracting investments and remittances of our citizens abroad through official channels” and creates new job opportunities for youth, the premier said .
As part of a deal, Sudan agreed to pay $335 million to compensate survivors and victims’ families from the twin 1998 al- Qaeda attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and a 2000 attack by the jihadist group on the USS Cole off Yemen ’ s coast .
Those attacks were carried out after Bashir had allowed then al- Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden sanctuary in Sudan .
Sudan in October became the third Arab country in as many months to pledge that it would normalise relations with Israel , after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain .
The transitional government ’ s pledge came amid a concerted campaign by the Trump administration to persuade Arab nations to recognise the Jewish state, and it has been widely perceived as a quid pro quo for Washington removing Sudan from its terror blacklist .
But unlike the UAE and Bahrain, Sudan has yet to agree a formal deal with Israel , amid wrangling within the fractious transitional power structure over the move
– Cracks in transition –
The first major evidence of engagement between Sudan ’ s interim authorities and Israel came in February , when Burhan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda.
In late November, a spokesman for the Sovereign Council , comprised of military and civilian figures , confirmed that an Israeli delegation had visited Khartoum earlier in the month.
Seeking to downplay the visit , council spokesman Mohamed al- Faki Suleiman had said “ we did not announce it at the time because it was not a major visit or of a political nature ” .
Sudan’ s transition has lately displayed signs of internal strain . Burhan last week blasted the transitional institutions, formed in August 2019 after months of further street protests demanding the post-Bashir military share power with civilians .
“ The transitional council has failed to respond to the aspirations of the people and of the revolution, ” Burhan charged while also lauding the integrity of the military .
Trump sent his notice to remove Sudan from the terror blacklist to Congress on October 26. Under US law, a country exits the list after 45 days unless Congress objects , which it has not .
Families of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks had called on lawmakers to reject the State Department’ s proposal , saying they want to pursue legal action against Sudan.
AFP
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