Sudan's transition to democracy has met another hurdle which it had inherited from the regime of Omar al-Bashir, a sticking point with the United States that may keep the country on the sidelines of the global economy, experts told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2020) Sudan's transition to democracy has met another hurdle which it had inherited from the regime of Omar al-Bashir, a sticking point with the United States that may keep the country on the sidelines of the global economy, experts told Sputnik.
Following a visit to the Sudanese capital Khartoum in late August, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded a payment of $330 million to the victims of families of victims of the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya by Al-Qaeda (terror group. banned in Russia) in exchange for Washington's removal of Sudan from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSTL). The demand caused anger in the poverty-stricken country.
US courts have earlier established the role of al-Bashir's regime in hosting, aiding and abetting Osama bin Laden in the carrying out the attacks, which virtually destroyed the two embassies and killed 224 people in total.
Khartoum maintains that they must not be held liable for the crimes of the previous regime.
According to Professor Harry Verhoeven, political scientist specializing in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region at the school of Foreign Service Georgetown University in Qatar, the US has used the political leverage of the SSTL to get Khartoum to make hefty concessions over the years.
"From the Sudanese perspective, this is very exhausting and difficult to accept. The US has been dangling comprehensive lifting of all sanctions and of course the removal from the list of states that sponsor terrorism for almost thirty years. It's been formally on the table for more than 15 years, including at the time of negotiations of the so-called peace agreement, which was signed in 2005," Verhoeven told Sputnik.
The professor explained that Khartoum was coaxed into accepting South Sudanese independence on the grounds that the US would lift all restrictions, but that never came as well.
Verhoeven went on to paint the picture of Sudan's dire economic situation which makes the idea of coughing up one third of a billion Dollars a rather tall order.
"The Sudanese people are among the poorest people in the world. The country is going through an incredible economic storm at the moment. Sudan has a huge balance of payment deficit, Sudan has one of the highest debt burdens anywhere in the world, especially in the percentage of GDP. It is dealing with COVID-19, it is dealing with trying to build peace after many decades of war," Verhoeven said.
Sudan's economy has also been dogged by the very fact that it remains on the US' sanctions list. Only removing Sudan from the SSTL would allow the country's new suite to seek economic support from international institutions and to vie for some forgiveness of its burdensome $60 billion international obligations.
Daniel Mekonnen, human rights lawyer and the Director of the Eritrean Law Society (ELS), told Sputnik that the US requests may be understandable, but Sudan's current state may use some sympathy from Washington.
"The [US'] request may not be fair, but it doesn't also mean that it is illegitimate. In my view, the US is trying to assert/pursue the rights of its citizens (victims) who were killed and injured in the attacks, allegedly sponsored and financed by the former regime of Sudan. The problem lies, however, in the fact that a new reformist government, struggling to fix the excesses of a previous reckless regime, has to shoulder the responsibilities of the latter. For a poor country like Sudan, this is very challenging. In that sense, one would expect the U.S. government to look for other alternatives," Mekonnen told Sputnik in a correspondence.
Mekonnen believes that lifting sanctions of Khartoum may go a long way in ushering in a new era for Sudan's external relationships, given that most US allies avoid developing close ties with countries Washington perceives as foes.
"The lifting of the sanctions can bring a huge advantage to Sudan, simply because no major country from Western Europe can do serious diplomatic work with Sudan as long as the latter remains in the US list of state sponsors of terror. In this sense, lifting of the sanctions may be helpful," Mekonnen explained.
Roland Marchal, political scientists specializing in African studies at the Centre for International Studies (CERI) at Sciences Po, Paris seconded Mekonnen's opinion, adding that lifting the generation-old sanctions may be a solution for Sudan across the board.
"Much more is needed in terms of economic governance in the country but also investment in crucial sectors and of course internal peace... Sanctions are not the only issue but lifting them is an essential component of a long term solution for Sudan," Marchal told Sputnik.
Verhoeven dismissed the US narrative that Sudan may still be beyond the pale in terms of terrorism, arguing that even Bashir's regime went to great length to accommodate the US in its global efforts against terrorism in order to wash its record.
"The American administration is trying to make it look as this is for Sudan to prove again that it is no longer supporting terrorism, completely come clear about its past. But it has. Since 9/11 it has cooperated to an extraordinary degree with American security services in all kind of ways, providing extremely valuable information," Verhoeven said, adding that both al-Qaeda and the regime that once hosted it have been uprooted in the country.
Sudan is currently governed by a hybrid transitional government made up of military and civilian components with the aim of building institutions and procedures for a democratic society. The transition is set to carry on until 2022, when a new constitution will be adopted and cycles of elections will take place, according to the agreements reached at the formation of the the transitional government.
Verhoeven believes that the US should act to welcome Sudan into the international community with a new outlook.
"If the US wants to be seen as credible and a long-term partner to Sudan... This is in American interests, this is in Sudan's interests, this is in the interests of the world," Verhoeven concluded.
