Efforts to remove Sudan from terrorist lists receives strong welcome from Khartoum

Amira Sherif

Khartoum has welcomed Washington’s intention to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sudanese Finance Minister Hiba Mohammed Ali said during a press conference from Khartoum, “We want Sudan to return to its normal position,” pointing out that “there are immediate results and others that will take time to lift Sudan from the terrorism list.”

“We will work to improve the Sudanese currency exchange rate,” she said, noting that “we seek to write off international debts from Sudan.”

She added, “We are working with the International Monetary Fund to solve the debt problem,” stressing that “we will negotiate with a number of countries to reschedule Sudan’s debts.”

US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to remove Sudan from the US list of states sponsoring terrorism, in a historic position in support of the Sudanese government, which is seeking to turn the page on decades of boycotts by the international community.

Trump announced that an agreement had been reached with Sudan regarding the payment of compensation to the families of Americans who were killed in the attacks in Africa in 1998.

“GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. 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!” Trump tweeted, without specifying a date.

Commenting on Trump’s announcement, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok wrote on his official Twitter account, “We are about to get rid of the legacy of the exterminated regime. I confirm that we are a peace-loving people and our people do not support terrorism.”

Hamdok stressed that this classification cost Sudan and harmed it, adding, “We are very much looking forward to his official notification to Congress of this,” referring to Trump.

Hamdok said in a television statement that removing Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism would open the door to exempting his country from foreign debts worth $60 billion.

The head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, considered that Trump’s announcement implies appreciation for the Sudanese people.

“This constructive step to remove the name of Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism confirms the great appreciation for the historical change that occurred in Sudan and the struggle and sacrifices of the Sudanese people,” Burhan wrote on Twitter.

The official Sudan TV reported that Hamdok confirmed the transfer of the money that the US president had set as a condition for issuing the executive order.

Hamdok was quoted as saying, “The compensation amount has been transferred to the United States.”

Dozens took to the streets of Khartoum waving Sudanese flags and chanting the slogan of the Sudanese revolution, “Freedom, Peace, Justice,” to celebrate the removal of the country’s name from the list.

On Monday, European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell welcomed Trump’s announcement, which paves the way for removing Sudan from the US blacklist of countries supporting terrorism.

Borrell tweeted that “the intention announced by the United States to withdraw Sudan from the list of countries supporting terrorism is of great importance.”

Activist John Prendergast, who along with American actor and activist George Clooney founded The Sentry to combat money laundering that fuels conflicts in Africa, said, “With the aim of supporting the transition mechanism to a democratic system led by civil powers, Congress must now pass legislation that restores immunity to Sudan’s sovereignty and puts an end to Sudan’s chronic status as a pariah state.”

US laws grant the president the power to remove a country from the blacklist, according to a resolution that Congress can veto within a 45-day period. Congress is expected vote to grant Sudan immunity from any new allegations.

Edith Bartley, a spokeswoman for the families of the Americans killed in the Nairobi bombings, said the compensation package would acknowledge the “sacrifices of our diplomats abroad.”

“The victims and our regional allies who want Sudan to become an economically viable supporter of regional peace are counting on swift action by Congress in support of these efforts,” Bartley added in a statement released by the White House.

On October 11, Hamdok accused the United States of threatening the path to democracy by keeping his country on the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

Khartoum has confirmed since last month that it has collected the amount of compensation.

Sudan has been placed on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1993 and is subject to economic sanctions accordingly.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had settled in Sudan during the era of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was accused of supporting jihadists who bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people and wounding about 5,000 others.