Sudan said on Saturday it has signed an agreement with the US that could effectively stop any future compensation claims being filed against the African country in US courts, following Washington’s decision to remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, The Associated Press reported.
The deal restores in US courts what is known as sovereign immunity to the Sudanese government, and comes after a year of negotiations between the Trump administration and Sudan’s new leadership, the Sudanese Justice Ministry said.
Sudanese Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari said that the agreement will allow Sudan “to resolve historical liabilities, restore normal relations with the United States, and move forward toward democracy and better economic times.”
The ministry said the deal, signed at the US State Department Friday, was meant to settle all lawsuits against Sudan in American courts, including those related to the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The deal would enter into force after US Congress passes legislation needed to implement the agreement.
US President Donald Trump last week officially removed Sudan from the list of nations that sponsor and finance terrorism. Days earlier, Trump announced that Sudan would be removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for paying compensation to families of American terror victims.
A transitional government led by a mix of military and civilian figures currently rules Sudan after the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
Last Friday, Trump announced that Sudan and Israel had agreed to normalize ties. It is believed that the removal of Sudan from the terror sponsors list was the precursor to its agreement with Israel.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, told Sudan TV in an interview last week that lifting sanctions on Sudan is part and parcel of its agreement with Israel.