The United States on Monday reinstated Sudan’s sovereign protection, as the U.S. Congress passed legislation formalizing the move, following the end of Sudan’s declaration as a terrorist state supporter.
However, the legislation includes exemptions allowing trial by September families of victims. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that have already begun in U.S. courts to move forward, although experts say Sudan is unlikely to lose those cases.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will speak at a press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, where he said Washington will move to remove Sudan’s designation as a terrorist state supporter
(Photo: AFP)
A state supporter announcing terrorism, which had been in place for nearly three decades, had stressed Sudan’s economy and its ability to gain support. For investors, repositioning sovereign protection removes another layer of financial risk.
Sudan had been in talks with the United States for months, and paid a negotiated $ 335 million settlement to the victims of al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 which received much higher dams by U.S. courts.
Following the bombing of the US embassy in Kenya in 1998, Sudan was partly to blame
(Photo: Reuters)
The process of releasing the settlement money and restoring Sudan’s sovereign protection – a defense against being prosecuted in American courts – was suspended in the U.S. Congress because it was linked the $ 892 billion coronavirus aid package.
Late Monday, the broader package was unveiled in the U.S. Congress after a deal was worked out in a rare weekend session, and sent to President Donald Trump to sign the law.
Under the bill, Washington will allow $ 111 million to pay off part of Sudan’s bilateral debt, and $ 120 million to help pay off its debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ) while making another $ 700 million until September 2022 to help the country. .
Last week, Sudan’s finance minister announced a US “bridge loan” that would allow Sudan to clear $ 1 billion in arrears to the World Bank.
President Donald Trump will discuss a phone call with Sudanese and Israeli leaders
(Photo: AP)
A U.S. source familiar with the matter said the debt support would help Sudan’s debt relief on a global scale, helping to make it eligible for the IMF’s Incapacitated Countries (HIPC) program.
With the reinstatement of sovereign protection and financial support, Khartoum will now be “on the hook,” to normalize ties with Israel, said a U.S. source familiar with the matter, a move they agreed under US weight.
In a joint statement in October, Israel and Sudan said they had agreed to normalize relations and end a bell-ring situation between the two countries, but Sudan’s civilian leaders have said the final decision would be in hands of a person yet to be bio-created transitional legislature.
The normalization would enable Sudan as one of the four Arab countries along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, over the past several months, to establish relations with Israel in US-backed aid contracts.
The Israeli flag was fired in Sudan after the announcement of a conciliation agreement
The bill also allocates an additional $ 150 million for Sudan’s settlement payments, to redistribute the money in a way that the bill’s sponsors say is fairer.
The United States designated Sudan as a state supporter of terrorism in 1993 because former President Omar al-Bashir’s ruling supported militant groups including al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah .
In the 1990s, the regime became a pariah, hosting Osama bin Laden and positioning himself as a fulcrum for Islamic movements, although experts still say Sudan is in charge in September. 11 attacks are questionable.