Trump ready to remove Sudan from State Sponsors of Terrorism list
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Sudan has been on the list since 1993, and is accordingly subject to economic sanctions by the US.
Trump said that they have reached an agreement with Sudan to compensate the families of Americans killed in the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Nairobi.
In a tweet, US President Donald Trump declared on Monday: “GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. terror victims and families.”
Trump added, “Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.” However, there has been no date specified for this compensation.
European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Sudan.
Borrell tweeted that the “US intention to lift the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation of Sudan is momentous.”
In turn, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok wrote on his official account on Twitter: “As we’re about to get rid of the heaviest legacy of Sudan’s previous, defunct regime, I should reiterate that we are peace-loving people and have never supported terrorism.”
Hamdok added, “The designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism has cost Sudan too much…we very much look forward to your official notification to Congress rescinding.”
According to Hamdok, Sudan has transferred the sum required to compensate the victims of the attacks.
Since last month, Khartoum said that it had collected the compensation for the families of the victims of the 1998 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda, which killed more than 200 people.
Removing Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism would pave the way for Sudan to be relieved of its $60 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, according to Hamdok.
On October 11, Hamdok accused the United States of threatening the path of transition to democracy by keeping his country on the state sponsors of terrorism list.
In September, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talked about a plan to place Khartoum in a frozen account, money that would only be paid on conditions in the United States to compensate the complainants.
Among those conditions, Pompeo said, is the removal of Sudan from the list, which will likely happen before the end of October.
Washington is also intensifying its pressure on Khartoum to normalize relations with Israel before the US presidential elections scheduled for the third of November.