TLTP
\nKHARTOUM
\nSudan\u2019s transitional government secured a major victory in Congress on Monday night that will see Khartoum receive partial immunity, marking a turning point in its relations with the United States.
\nAlmost two months since US President Donald Trump announced the deal with Khartoum on October 23, promising restoration of Sudan\u2019s sovereign immunity, and removal from the state department list of \u201cstate sponsors of terror\u201d that it\u2019s been on since 1993, Congress will be voting on the \u201cSudan Claims Resolution\u201d that addresses both. In return, Sudan would pay $335 million to compensate over the US victims of Al Qaeda attacks in 1998 in Kenya and Tanzania that Khartoum backed. Sudan would also start political and economic relations with Israel.
\nThe Sudan resolution is included in the $900 billion coronavirus relief package that Congress is set to vote on tonight ahead of adjourning for the end of the year. It is expected to pass with bipartisan support.
\nThe 20-page-bill, is carefully drafted in a way that honors the deal that the White House made with Sudan\u2019s transitional government, while at the same time grants compromises that few Senators were seeking for families of the victims in terror attacks involving the deposed Omar Al Bashir Government.
\nFor the families, the bill preserves \u201cthe rights of 9\/11 [September 11 terror attack] victims and families by allowing the 9\/11 multi-district litigation to continue unharmed.\u201d It also goes beyond US citizens that were impacted at the time and extends protections to those naturalized which was a major sticking point between the Trump administration and the Senate.
\n\u201cSecuring $150,000,000 for dozens of naturalised US citizen victims and family members of the East Africa Embassy bombings, which was necessary because the Trump administration\u2019s deal with Sudan compensated naturalized US citizen terrorism victims at a rate that was approximately 90 percent less than natural-born US citizens,\u201d a summary of the bill read.
\nFor Sudan and its young transitional government, the bill secures US help of $700 million in assistance and $230 million in debt relief. It highlights \u201crecognition by Congress that the United States needs to support Sudan\u2019s democratic transition, particularly in light of the country\u2019s dire economic situation.\u201d Sudan also was removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list last week after 27 years on being designated.
\nCameron Hudson, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Former Chief of Staff for the US Special Envoy to Sudan, saw the deal as major progress in US-Sudan relations. \u201cIt means that Sudan has partial restoration of its immunity, but also has allocated assistance\u2026 A huge will at the cost of a small compromise,\u201d Mr Hudson said. \u201cWith this deal, the US becomes a financial and political partner in Sudan\u2019s success. It fundamentally redefines the relationship.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP KHARTOUM Sudan\u2019s transitional government secured a major victory in Congress on Monday night that will see Khartoum receive partial immunity, marking a turning point in its relations with the United States. Almost two months since US President Donald Trump announced the deal with Khartoum on October 23, promising restoration of Sudan\u2019s sovereign immunity, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163745,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-163773","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n