US lifts Sudan sanctions after two decades heralding new era of cooperation
A decision to revoke two decades of US economic sanctions on Sudan will come into effect today.
Originally due in July, today’s enactment is the result of Khartoum’s cooperation on counterterrorism, improved UN humanitarian access and maintenance of ceasefires with rebel groups in the country’s South and West.
Sudan is a key partner in the US-funded Partnership for Regional East Africa Counterterrorism program, a relationship both parties are keen to develop.
The move comes in the context of Khartoum’s pivot from Iran and cessation of relations with North Korea. Simultaneously, it has moved closer to towards traditional US ally Saudi Arabia, even fighting cooperatively in Yemen in exchange for multibillion-dollar payments.
Expect Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State to put pressure on Khartoum to crack down further on Hamas personnel operating in Sudan, leveraging both Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terror and access to financial aid.
In the short term though, the relaxation of trade embargoes will help clear the way for deeper cooperation on counterterrorism.
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