Washington Prepares to Lift Economic Sanctions against Sudan

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir speaks to the crowd after a swearing-in ceremony at green square in Khartoum, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir speaks to the crowd after a swearing-in ceremony at green square in Khartoum, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
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Washington Prepares to Lift Economic Sanctions against Sudan

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir speaks to the crowd after a swearing-in ceremony at green square in Khartoum, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir speaks to the crowd after a swearing-in ceremony at green square in Khartoum, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

The United States is preparing to lift decades-old economic sanctions against Sudan, citing improvement on human rights and progress on counter-terrorism, a US official said on Thursday.

A Reuters report said that President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to announce its decision as early as Friday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Shortly before leaving office, former President Barack Obama temporarily eased penalties that had been in place for 20 years against the African nation. In July, the Trump administration postponed for three months a decision on whether to remove the sanctions completely, setting up an Oct. 12 deadline.

It will also mark a major turnaround for the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

The White House declined comment. There was no immediate comment from the State Department.

Sudan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hamed Momtaz told Reuters on Wednesday in Khartoum: "Sudan has fulfilled all the necessary conditions relating to the roadmap, and the US administration is a witness to that and therefore we expect the sanctions to be lifted.”

Rights groups raised concerns that it would be premature to remove sanctions.

The United States first imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997, including a trade embargo and blocking the government’s assets, for human rights violations and terrorism concerns.



Cyprus Arrests 8 Syrians on Suspicion of Terrorism Funding

Two men seat at Eleftheria, Liberty, square in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Two men seat at Eleftheria, Liberty, square in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
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Cyprus Arrests 8 Syrians on Suspicion of Terrorism Funding

Two men seat at Eleftheria, Liberty, square in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Two men seat at Eleftheria, Liberty, square in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Police in Cyprus on Thursday detained eight individuals for questioning on allegations they were involved in raising funds for a designated terrorist group in a third country, authorities said.

The suspects, seven men and a woman, all from Syria, were arrested in morning raids by police in the towns of Limassol and Paphos, Reuters reported. There was no indication the suspects were plotting attacks themselves and police declined to name the group or where it was based.

"There is absolutely no information these individuals were planning any terror attack in Cyprus. It's purely (related to) issues of financing a specific terrorist group based in a third country," police spokesperson Christos Andreou told Cyprus's ANT1 TV channel.

One issue under scrutiny was whether funds were raised from dealing in illicit narcotics and psychotropic substances, he said.