Sudan president denies US request to ban Islamic movement

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir denied media reports that the US has requested the Islamic movement in his country to be banned in return for removing the country from an American blacklist of terror supporting countries, the Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

Speaking to RT, Al-Bashir said: “It is impossible to ban the Islamic movement in the country. I am from the Islamic movement.”

“The membership of the Islamic movement in the ruling party does not exceed ten per cent compared with the other parties.”

Al-Bashir added: “Sudan does not adopt anyone else’s agenda. Sudan is able to evaluate and adopt the right stances.”

Read: US sanctions not the cause of Sudan’s economic problem

On 6 October, the US lifted the economic embargo and commercial ban imposed on Sudan since 1997. This came following a Sudanese pledge to cooperate with the US in the war on terror, work for peace in South Sudan, facilitate humanitarian situation in South Sudan and help people in conflict areas.

Sudan had been on the US list of the countries which support terror because it hosted Osama Bin Laden between 1991 and 1996.