Sudan says U.S. Congress moves ahead on ending pariah status

 Sudan's Justice Ministry said Tuesday U.S. Congress has moved forward on Washington's promise to end African country's pariah status, passing legislation that grants Sudan some immunity from legal action by Americans against its involvement in militant attacks.

legislation, part of a massive relief pack that Congress approved Monday, restored to Sudan what is kwn as sovereign immunity, a measure that would effectively stop future compensation claims from being filed against it in U.S. courts. It did t grant Sudan immunity from being sued by 9/11 victims’ families over country's alleged role in attacks, ministry said in a statement.

step by Congress capped efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to remove Sudan from U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

designation dates back to 1990s, when Sudan briefly hosted al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and or wanted militants, at same time losing its sovereign immunity. Sudan was also believed to have served as a pipeline for Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian militants in Gaza Strip.

De-listing Sudan from blacklist was part of U.S. administration’s efforts to have Sudan rmalize its ties with Israel . Sudan has become third Arab country, after United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to rmalize ties with Israel in last four months. Morocco followed shortly after.

legislation allows release of $335 million to American terror victims and ir families that Sudan agreed to pay as compensation for victims of 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, attacks carried out by al-Qaida while bin Laden was living in Sudan.

Congress also included a provision to pay $150 million to African victims of embassy bombings who later became U.S. citizens, to settle ir outstanding claims against Sudan, according to Sudanese Justice Ministry statement. That money will be paid by U.S. government.

deal also included compensation settlement for victims of deadly 2000 bombing of USS Cole at Yemen’s sourn port of Aden which killed 17 Marines, and for killing of John Granville, an official with U.S. ncy for International Development, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Sudanese capital of Khartoum in 2008, State Department said in October.

removal of terror designation opens door for Sudan’s fragile transitional government to get international loans and aid needed to revive its battered ecomy and rescue country’s transition to democracy.

Justice Ministry said in its statement that Sudan would receive $1.1 billion direct and indirect aid from U.S., in addition to a $1 billion bridge loan to World Bank to help clear Sudan’s arrears with institution.

Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would work with Congress and transitional government in Khartoum to advance Sudan’s efforts to secure debt relief in 2021.

Sudan has more than $60 billion in foreign debt, and debt relief and access to foreign loans are widely seen as its gateway to ecomic recovery.

(Im credit: AP)