Sudan removed from US terror blacklist, Pompeo hopes to build 'stronger relationship'

The United States on Monday, December 14 officially excluded Sudan from the country's list of terror sponsors. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Sudan's designation as "State Sponsor of Terrorism" has been revoked, marking a new beginning of the bilateral relationship between Washington and Khartoum. Sudan was added to the list in 1993 and has been removed after a 45-day Congressional review following US President Donald Trump's announcement that the country would be removed from the list.

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Trump's announcement came after Sudan agreed to pay $335 million in compensation to the families of victims of the 1998 US embassy bombings. Sudan's ousted President Omar al-Bashir and his government are accused of harbouring several militants from the region and elsewhere, including the dreaded Osama bin Laden, who was most-wanted in the US and was killed in 2011 by US Forces. Bashir's government is also believed to have helped Iran in supplying arms and ammunition to militants in the Gaza Strip, which again prevented the US from removing the country from the list. 

"This achievement was made possible by the efforts of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to chart a bold new course away from the legacy of the Bashir regime and, in particular, to meet the statutory and policy criteria for rescission. We commend the calls of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice, and we congratulate the members of the civilian-led transitional government for their courage in advancing the aspirations of the citizens they serve," the State Department said in a statement. 

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Sudan to normalise ties with Israel?

The move to remove Sudan from the list is also believed to have come after Khartoum agreed to establish formal relations with Israel. The Trump administration has been trying hard to broker peace between several Islamic countries and Israel, and on some part, it has been successful. The US government recently brokered peace between Israel-UAE and Bahrain and is reportedly in talks with Saudi Arabia and Qatar regarding the same.

Read: Top Saudi Diplomat On 1st Sudan Visit Since Al-Bashir Ouster

As far as the terror sponsors' list is concerned, there are currently three countries that are on the US' list of state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, North Korea, and Syria, while Pakistan has been listed as a "safe haven" for terrorists by the State Department. 

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