U.S. removes Sudan from Terrorist Watch List

Security will not be on red alert the next time a Sudanese steps foot on a United States Embassy for a visa application or the country's point of entry; this is because the Sudan has been removed from the United States terror watch list, meaning that citizens from the war torn country are no longer regarded as terrorists as they have been for many years.

This was possible after a series of talks which prompted the Sudanese foreign minister, Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed to meet with United States representatives from the state department in Washington DC, where the two nations finally agreed to begin the process of lifting the sanctions.

This is indeed a welcome development as the African country looks to regain international partnerships in a bid to revive its dwindling economy.

You will recall that the U.S. only lifted the 20-year-old trade sanctions on Sudan last year, but the fact that they were still on the terrorist watch list made the pardon meaningless as investors who continued to see the country as a major sponsor of terrorism like Syria, Iran and north Korea (all of which are on the U.S. terror watch list) distanced themselves from the country.

It was to this end that Sudan pushed for an agreement to take their name of the watch list.

Another disadvantage the country faced is that the they were not able to access international loans and debt relief, especially from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a statement released by the United States Department by spokeswoman Heather Nauert, the U.S. has employed Sudan to continue to improve on human right policies especially in the areas of religion and press freedom.

Sudan was listed on the terror list after it was believed that the country provided refuge to terrorists including Osama Bin Laden.

The president of Sudan, Omer al-Bashir runs an Islamic government and has ruled the country since 16 October 1993 till date.
Credit: African Exponent