U.S. officials in favour of lifting Sudan sanctions: report

Photo: Khartoum (kopi_kocok via Flickr)

By SudanTribune

U. S. officials are supportive for the permanent revocation of the economic sanctions on Sudan, says Bloomberg, a business and market news agency, in a report released on Thursday.

In line with a five-track engagement over the lift of sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has to make by July 12 a formal recommendation to Trump on the economic embargo.

"While Tillerson hasn’t made a final decision, the recommendation from key aides involved in the process is that he support the lifting of sanctions," said Bloomberg citing an anonymous source familiar with the decision.

"Tillerson and the State Department must also weigh the likelihood of blowback if it goes ahead with plans to improve ties with Sudan," further says the new report.

A week before to leave office on 13 January 2017, President Barak Obama decided to reduce some economic sanction on Sudan, saying it would be effective next July after an interagency report on Khartoum’s commitment to a five track deal concluded between the two countries.

Also, the White House was keen to indicate that the decision intends to acknowledge Sudan’s efforts to reduce internal conflict, improve humanitarian access to people requiring aid and curtail "terrorism".

Sources in Washington say the security agencies, CIA and FBI, and the U.S Army strongly back the lift of sanctions saying that cooperation with Khartoum is crucial for America strategic interests.

Rights groups and activists plead for a delay of sanctions in order to improve human rights records and promote democratic reforms.

Observers point that the failure of opposition groups to sign a humanitarian cessation of hostilities agreement supported by the State Department weakened any effort in this direction and propelled arguments put forward by the security agencies.

The expected partial lift of sanctions does not include sanctions imposed by the Congress and the removal of a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

A former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Princeton Lyman, says these sanctions can be used to bring Khartoum to improve human rights in Sudan and support the full implementation of any deal with the opposition groups to end the war and achieve political reforms.

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