Sudan Calls On U.S. To Remove Terrorism Label

The U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale has this week been in Khartoum, Sudan, for meetings with various government officials, as well as opposition figures and representatives of civil society.

Hale will meet with the signatories of the recent July 17 and August 4 agreements that set out a path for the country to transition to a civilian-led government and elections within three years.

Ahead of Hale’s visit the US Special Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth met with the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Omer Dahab. During the meeting Dahab called on the U.S. to remove Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism as part of efforts to normalise relations,

According to the Ministry Dahab told Booth that Sudan is looking forward to being reintegrated into the international community, and that the country’s removal from the list would enable Sudan to access the international development support it needs in order to work towards the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for 2030. 

Sudan has featured on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism since 1993. However, in October 2017 the U.S. lifted economic sanctions on Sudan imposed in 1997.

Following the request a senior U.S. State Department official has stated that there are still longstanding issues that need to be resolved between the two countries before the removal can take place.