Keeping Sudan on U.S. list of terror states is unfair: al-Bashir

November 22, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – President Omer al-Bashir Thursday said Sudan’s designation by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism and the sanctions imposed on his country is unfair.

This is the second time during this month that al-Bashir criticises the U.S. administration for the inclusion of his country on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. On 13 November, the Sudanese president had similar words and added that his country would not link its fate to Washington.

“Sudan, as you know, has been under an unjust siege that has left its mark in all areas, including its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism which is baseless,” he told a meeting of the Arab Justice Ministers held in Khartoum on Thursday.

Without pointing to the counterterrorism cooperation between his government and the American administration, he added that Sudan signed and ratified all the regional and international treaties to fight terrorism.

“Also, Sudan has developed advanced legislation criminalizing terrorist acts and its financing,” he stressed.

Currently there are four countries on the U.S. terror list including Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan which has been added to the list on August 12, 1993.

On 7 November, following a visit of the Sudanese foreign minister Dirdeiry Ahmed to Washington, the State Department said prepared to initiate the process of rescinding Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism if Sudan meets the “key areas” agreed for the lift of economic sanctions plus the UN sanctions on North Korea.

“Those key areas include expanding counterterrorism cooperation, enhancing human rights protections and practices, including freedoms of religion and press, improving humanitarian access, ceasing internal hostilities and creating a more conducive environment for progress in Sudan’s peace process, taking steps to address certain outstanding terrorism-related claims, and adhering to UN Security Council resolutions related to North Korea,” said the State Department.

Sudan’s removal from the list of terrorism sponsors will enable the poor country to engage with the international financial institutions to benefit from the debt-relief programme and receive financial support for its development plans.

During the recent months, al-Bashir used to remind Sudanese that the country remains under U.S. sanctions to explain the tough economic conditions the country is experiencing.

(ST)