SUDAN SIGNS U.S. DEAL RESTORING SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY

Sudan says it has signed an agreement with the U.S. that could effectively stop any future compensation claims being filed against the African country in U.S. courts, following Washington’s decision to remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The deal restores in U.S. courts what is known as sovereign immunity to the Sudanese government, and comes after a year of negotiations between the Trump administration and Sudan’s new leadership, the Sudanese Justice Ministry said.

A transitional government led by a mix of military and civilian figures currently rules Sudan, after the overthrow of former leader Omar al-bashir in April 2019 led to the country seeking better ties with the U.S.

Sudanese Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari said that the agreement will allow Sudan “to resolve historical liabilities, restore normal relations with the United States, and move forward toward democracy and better economic times.”

The ministry said the deal, signed at the U.S. State Department Friday, was meant to settle all lawsuits against Sudan in American courts, including those related to the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The deal would enter into force after Congress passes legislation needed to implement the agreement.

Sudan’s transitional government has agreed to pay $335 million in compensation for victims of the attacks that were carried out by Osama bin Laden’s al-qaeda network while the militant leader was living in Sudan.

The ministry said the money would be held in an escrow account till the U.S. finalizes the restoration of Sudan’s sovereign immunity.

It said the deal also included compensation settlement for victims of the deadly 2000 bombing of the USS Cole at Yemen’s southern port of Aden that killed 17 Marines, and for the death of John Granville, an official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum in 2008.

Edith L. Bartley, spokeswoman for the families of the Americans killed in the Kenya attack, urged Congress to “immediately” pass legislation needed to implement the settlement and release the money.