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US ready to lift sanctions on Sudan, says official

October 6, 2017 at 3:44 pm

Protesters demonstrate against the US sanctions on Sudan on 19 September 2017 [#jomo~I.M.J/Twitter]

The United States is preparing to lift the decades-long economic sanctions on Sudan after it has seen improvements in the country’s human rights and progress in counter-terrorism measures, a US official said yesterday.

“The Donald Trump administration is expected to announce its decision soon, possibly on Friday,” the official added.

Shortly before leaving office, former US President Barack Obama temporarily eased the penalties that had been in place for two decades against Sudan.

In July, the Trump administration postponed for three months a decision on whether to remove the sanctions completely, set 12 October as a deadline for the decision to be taken.

Lifting the sanctions, which is opposed by some human rights advocates, will suspend a trade embargo, unfreeze assets and remove financial restrictions that have hobbled the Sudanese economy, the official pointed out.

Sudan: US sanctions created hardship for people

The Sudanese government said on Wednesday that “it has fulfilled all the necessary conditions relating to the roadmap,” stressing that “the US administration is a witness to that and therefore we expect the sanctions to be lifted.”

In order for the US administration to lift the Sudan’s embargo, the Sudanese government must “cooperate on counter-terrorism measures, work to resolve internal conflicts and allow more humanitarian aid into Darfur and other rebel border areas,” the US official noted.

Many US officials also announced in July their concerns over Sudan’s suspected ties to North Korea.

In 1997, the United States imposed sanctions on Sudan, including a trade embargo and blocking the government’s asset over the African country’s alleged human rights violations and support for terrorism.