Sudan Is Taken Off The Terrorist State List

 

SUDAN

A Big Carrot

The United States officially removed Sudan from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that allows the East African country to reenter the international fold after nearly 30 years of isolation, the New York Times reported Monday.

The whitelisting came nearly two months after President Donald Trump said he would remove Sudan from the list in exchange for $335 million in compensation payments to the victims of the 1998 al Qaeda attacks on the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200 people.

Sudan also agreed to recognize Israel – although it appeared to stop short of agreeing to full diplomatic relations.

In 1993, Sudan was accused of being allied with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and al Qaeda, prompting then-President Bill Clinton to designate the country as a sponsor of terrorism: The designation effectively made Sudan a diplomatic pariah and cut it off from international financial aid.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hailed the move as a “new era” for the country, which is currently experiencing a severe economic crisis and grappling with the coronavirus pandemic even as it transitions to a democracy.

The decision was primarily motivated by economic need: Sudan seeks to access emergency funds from the International Monetary Fund.