It is a watershed moment for Sudan

The removal of Sudan from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list after more than two decades will reset the relations between the two countries and allow Khartoum to truly turn the corner from an era that has brought misery to its shores. Sudan has been an international pariah since the 1990s, punished by the West for harbouring terrorists including Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s. The economy has since been blighted by years of sanctions and the harsh dictatorship of Omar Al Bashir.

The Sudanese didn’t expect a sudden change in their fortunes last year with the ouster of their long-time dictator, but they certainly were not prepared for a harsher reality that would make survival that much more difficult. The queues for food and fuel have become longer even as the prices have risen beyond what is affordable. There are no quick-fix solutions to its economic ills but the delisting offers a pivotal option to the transitional government of Abdallah Hamdok to build bridges with the West and rejoin the global financial system. Sudan needs financial help to resolve its debts, restructure the economy, and attract investments. The US has already agreed to lend a helping hand. More should be willing, too. This is Sudan’s watershed moment and it should take full advantage.

there are no quick-fix solutions to its economic ills but the delisting offers a pivotal option to build bridges with the West and rejoin the financial system