Sudan and the US have signed an agreement to restore the former’s sovereign immunity, the Sudanese Ministry of Justice announced on Friday.
The ministry also said, in a statement, that the agreement will lead to the settlement of cases filed against Sudan in US courts, including the case related to the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The ministry added that Khartoum agreed to pay a total of $335m in compensation to US citizens who were killed in attacks by militants or their families.
The agreement is part of a US pledge to remove Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, a promise made during the era of ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Washington believes that Khartoum supports militant groups.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he would remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism after transferring $335m in compensation to the families of those killed in militant attacks.
To avoid any new lawsuits, Sudan needs to restore the sovereign immunity it lost following its inclusion on the list of states sponsoring terrorism. The classification meant the country’s transitional government has found it difficult to obtain debt relief or external financing.
Sudan also agreed to normalise relations with Israel, to become the third Arab country, after the UAE and Bahrain, to establish relations with Israel in the last two months.
