Sudan has claimed to have collected the amount of compensation claimed by Washington as part of an agreement on compensation for the families of American victims of attacks perpetrated in 1998 against United States embassies in Africa.
“The promulgation by the US Congress of the law immunizing the Sudan from all further prosecution is the only point still pending before the implementation of the agreement on the payment of compensation” to the families of the victims, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said on Wednesday (September 23rd), quoted by the official Suna agency. American media have mentioned the total amount of $ 335 million in compensation (about 287 million euros).
With this agreement, said on Thursday the Sudanese foreign minister, Omer Gamareldin Ismail, traveling to Geneva, Sudan will be able to more easily say to the United States: “Remove us from the list of states supporting terrorism and let’s move forward. “ This sanction, synonymous with hindering investments for Sudan, dates back to 1993: the country led by Omar al-Bashir had then become an outcast for having welcomed the leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.
Race against time
The crisis escalated when two attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda were carried out in 1998 against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 200 people. Washington then accused Sudan of having supported those responsible for the attacks and demanded compensation for the families of American victims, compensation which is a prerequisite for the country’s removal from the blacklist.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is today in a race against time to resolve his country’s dispute with Sudan ahead of the presidential election in the United States on November 3 and to get closer to a possible normalization agreement with Israel, Sudan being seen as the next Arab country to be able to recognize the Hebrew state. His ” plan “ provides for the payment by Khartoum, into a blocked account, of funds which will only be paid under conditions to the United States to compensate the plaintiffs.
Among Sudan’s conditions are the country’s removal from the anti-terrorism blacklist and the passage of a law proclaiming the “Legal peace” with Khartoum to rule out the risk of further prosecution.
