U.S. lifts sanctions on Sudan, ending two decades of embargo
Source: The Washington Post
By Carol Morello October 6 at 12:30 PM
The United States permanently lifted a raft of sanctions on Sudan Friday, saying the African nation had begun addressing concerns on fighting terrorism as well as human rights abuses against civilians in the country’s Darfur region.
The decision to lift the sanctions and end an economic embargo against Sudan comes after the Trump administration last month removed it from the list of countries whose citizens are subject to travel restrictions. Sudan was the only country that was removed. But the decision leaves other sanctions in place for the time being, including those against individuals with arrest warrants related to atrocities committed during the conflict in Darfur. And it does not remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a removal ardently sought by Sudan. A separate review is underway on that designation.
The change reflects a strategy shift in how to bring about reforms in Sudan, where President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has clung to power since taking office in a military coup in 1989. Instead of relying solely on the punishment of sanctions, the new strategy is to use relief as an enticement to encourage more changes.
The sanctions relief also was part of a push to enlist more countries in an effort to isolate North Korea diplomatically. A State Department official said that while it was not an explicit condition, Washington told Khartoum that an “absolute, vital part of the relationship” going forward is full compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions related to North Korea.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-lifts-sanctions-on-sudan-ending-two-decades-of-embargo/2017/10/06/aac1bd22-86d5-434e-9a21-1e0d57a72cb0_story.html
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