Sudan denies paying compensation for terror victims from pensions fund
April 5, 2020 (KHARTOUM) – Lina Al-Sheikh, Minister of Social Development and Labour dismissed the accuracy of reports that the compensations for the victims of the USS Cole bombing will be paid by the social security and pensions funds.
Last week, Alyoum Altali newspaper published a report saying that the Sudanese government had begun to pay the compensation agreed with the families of the victims of the destroyer (Cole) from the funds of the investment body for social security and pensions.
However, in statements to Sudan Tribune, al-Sheikh dismissed the accuracy of these reports stressing that “the law does not allow to use these funds to pay the compensation for the victims of the Cole bombing.”
The minister further described the report as “strange”.
The ministry of finance on Sunday confirmed the payment of the compensation, stressing it was not taken from the pensions funds.
“We want to confirm very clearly that the amount was paid from the country’s own resources and from the accounts of the Ministry of Finance,” said the statement.
In the same vein, the head of the Investment Authority, Heba Mohamed Ali, dismissed the report and suggested holding discussions with the US administration on how to schedule the compensation for the victims.
Trump administration officials have repeated that Sudan would not be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism before the payment of the compensations for the terror victims.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has launched a national fundraising campaign to collect money to support the programmes of his government.
The campaign targets Sudanese inside and outside the country who can transfer money to a number of banking accounts.
Also, there were reports about pledges made by a number of Golf countries to contribute to a special fund to pay the compensations for the victims of the terror attacks committed by al-Qaeda militants who were based in Sudan in the nineties.
The Sudanese government is expected to conclude a deal with victims of the attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi as well as Dar es Salaam.
(ST)