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27 years after the US designated #Sudan as a state sponsor of international terrorism, President Trump signals his intention to lift the designation & the associated sanctions. 
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1318251010595303424
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1318251010595303424
Under law, once the President formally notifies Congress of this decision, Congress will have 45 days to review. Congress could block the decision with a veto-proof joint resolution of disapproval by the House & Senate, or let the decision stand (which does not require a vote).
The President has indicated the rescission decision will happen when Sudan deposits into escrow the $335M agreed upon to settle the claims of victims of the '98 US embassy bombings in E Africa & the 2000 USS Cole attack, and the murder of USAID official John Granville in Khartoum
The issue of compensation for victims of the 98 embassy bombings has been contentious, as has been covered in the media. The $335M is going into escrow and will not be disbursed to the victims until Congress passes legal peace legislation to restore Sudan's sovereign immunity.
The settlement agreement does not address the claims of victims of the 9/11 attacks - unlike in the the embassy & Cole cases, US courts have not issued judgements in those cases finding Sudan liable (they remain in litigation). This also complicates the legal peace legislation.
Sudan can be removed from the SST list without legal peace. In the case of Libya, for example, legal peace came in 2008, 2 years after delisting. Congress is likely to face pressure from the victims who are due to receive compensation to resolve this more quickly...
...pending the resolution of outstanding issues raised by several Members.
In the meantime, the delisting process would proceed.
In the meantime, the delisting process would proceed.
The President's tweet does not mention Israel, despite widespread reporting that the Trump Admin. wanted Sudan to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for delisting. PM Hamdok objected to those issues being linked.
Whether Sudan & Israel will proceed with talks...
Whether Sudan & Israel will proceed with talks...
...begun by Sovereign Council head Gen. Burhan in early 2020 is unclear, but it is noteworthy that the SST decision is being announced without mention of Israel.
#Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok responds: https://twitter.com/SudanPMHamdok/status/1318256791453683716?s=19
From the United States' top diplomat in #Sudan: https://twitter.com/USCDASudan/status/1318261982672334855?s=19
Removal from the SST list has been a top priority for PM Hamdok's government since he took office in August 2019, with the hope that it will help to further improve Sudan's international standing and spur investment and reengagement by int'l financial institutions.
Until the legal peace legislation passes, Sudan will remain liable for the over $10B in terrorism-related judgements against it in US courts. The legislation would, among other things, restore Sudan's immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, as amended.
(Sudan, like other countries, could still be sued under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, the law under which Saudi Arabia is currently facing 9/11-related suits.)
Restoration of Sudan's sovereign immunity could help to further spur US investment in the country.
Restoration of Sudan's sovereign immunity could help to further spur US investment in the country.
Separately, SST rescission would remove several remaining US sanctions (most economic & trade sanctions were lifted in 2017). It would, among other things, allow US to vote in favor of Sudan in decisions at the IMF, WB, etc. and facilitate Sudan's path toward debt relief.
Sudan still has several other hurdles to clear to reach the decision point for multilateral debt relief under the HIPC initiative, including approval by the US Congress to finance bilateral debt relief (it will cost the USG roughly $300M to write off Sudan's $3B debt to the US)
In the meantime, Sudan Hope's the delisting decision will encourage foreign banks to consider restoring correspondent banking relations in the country, which would, among other things, help address Sudan's severe forex shortage.
For more on this, see these comments by former WB official @Magdi_Amin, now an advisor in Sudan's finance ministry: https://twitter.com/Magdi_Amin/status/1318262185819361280?s=19
