Sudan taken off list of terror sponsors

US President Donald Trump’s administration has removed Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could help the African country get international loans to revive its battered economy and end its pariah status, the US Embassy in Khartoum said yesterday.

“This achievement comes with numerous opportunities for Sudan’s development,” tweeted Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, adding that his country “officially” rejoined the international community as a “peaceful nation supporting global stability” after nearly threedecades of isolation.

Sudan is on a fragile transition to democracy following an uprising that led to the military’s ouster of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The county is now ruled by a joint military and civilian government.

The removal of the terror designation opens the door for the transitional government to get international loans and aid and rescue its transition to democracy. Sudan’s economy has suffered from decades of US sanctions and mismanagement under al-Bashir, who had ruled the country since a 1989 Islamist-backed military coup.

Delisting Sudan is also a key incentive for the government in Khartoum to normalise relations with Israel. The two countries have agreed to full diplomatic ties, making Sudan the third Arab state to move to normalise relations with Israel this year. Morocco has also established diplomatic ties with Israel.