No going back from lifting US sanctions on Sudan, insists minister

Sudan’s finance minister insisted on Monday that there is no going back on the process of lifting the financial sanctions imposed by the United States, Anadolu Agency has reported. Badr El-Din Mahmoud made his comments after a meeting with Abdullah Al-Shahi, of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, who is on a visit to Khartoum.

The lifting of sanctions is taking place in an institutionalised manner, explained Mahmoud. He laid stress on Sudan’s “institutional linkage” to the US through influential committees “via the roadmap.” The minister added that Sudan and the US have reached certain understandings and will continue to normalise bilateral relations. The government in Khartoum, he pointed out, is keen to open the door for US and other foreign banks to invest in Sudan’s financial sector.

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In January, Washington decided to lift the financial sanctions that it had imposed on Sudan for 20 years on the grounds that the African country “harboured” terrorism. The sanctions were tightened in 2005 and 2006 against the backdrop of the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.