Sudanese are “frustrated” by the U.S. terror list : al-Burhan
November 21, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The head of the Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the Washington position on the removal of his country from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) has frustrated Sudanese people.
Day after day, the issue of the SST which obstructs any international support for the impoverished country despite al-Bashir removal, continue to haunt Sudanese at all the levels and develop resentment.
Speaking in a one-hour long interview on Aljazeera TV, al-Burhan said they have raised the issue of the SST’s rescission with the U.S. officials and every time point to the regulations governing the lifting of SST process and say having to observe it.
“But, it is true, this matter has frustrated the Sudanese people due to the absence of the reasons for the imposition of these sanctions,” he said alluding to the removal of the al-Bashir regime.
Last October in remarks at the Atlantic Council, US Special Envoy to Sudan Donald Booth said the removal is a “multistep process” including verification that Sudan is no longer supporting terrorism, amending the Congress acts on Darfur and terrorism, and also amending acts related to child soldiers, trafficking in persons and religious freedoms where Sudan is also subjected to sanctions.
On Tuesday 19 November, U.S top diplomat for Africa Tibor Nagy told the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa that they are on “the midst of” the process. However, he did not elaborate on the details.
MILITARY PARTICIPATION
Also, al-Burhan said the military participation in the transitional period has no relation with the SST’s lifting process.
“They never said that the military’s participation is the reason” for keeping Sudan in the terror list, he said when the journalist told him that the American administration invoked this issue.
Pointing to his meeting with recent meeting with Booth, al-Burhan said: “he never said that that the participation of the military in the transitional authority was the reason”.
“What he said that there is a process and a time which is not long, perhaps the decision will be issued in the upcoming days,” he added referring to his meeting with the special envoy to Sudan
RAPID SUPPORT FORCES AND LIBYA
The head of the collegial presidency denied reports by UN panel of experts on Libya about the participation of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Libyan conflict alongside the general Haftar.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces including the RSF did not send any soldier to Libya and nobody asked us to send troops to Libya,” he said referring to the UAE.
He said stressed that the RSF are part of the Sudanese army and fully absorbed now under the unified command.
In turn, he pointed to the participation of the armed groups in Libya saying they are fighting alongside the different belligerents.
(ST)