WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced on Monday the United States would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside $335 million for payments for American victims and their families.

The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, a US official said, following similar US-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The details and timing were still being worked out, the source said.

Though Trump made no mention of Israel in his tweet announcing the breakthrough with Sudan, rapprochement between Israel and another Arab country would give Trump a new diplomatic achievement as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.

Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to its toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir and makes it difficult for its transitional government to access urgently needed debt relief and foreign financing.

Many in Sudan say the designation, imposed in 1993 because the Washington believed Bashir’s government was supporting militant groups, has become outdated since Bashir was removed last year and Sudan has long cooperated on counter-terrorism.

US-Sudanese negotiations have focused on funds that Washington wants Khartoum to deposit in escrow for victims of Al-Qaeda attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, US government sources said.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2020