Sudan Signs Agreement With Families Of 2000 USS Cole Attack Victims - Justice Ministry

Sudan Signs Agreement With Families of 2000 USS Cole Attack Victims - Justice Ministry

Sudan has signed a settlement agreement with the families of victims of the 2000 terrorist attack against the USS Cole guided missile destroyer, Sudan's Justice Ministry said on Thursday, pointing out that Khartoum was not responsible for the incident despite US claims

KHARTOUM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2020) Sudan has signed a settlement agreement with the families of victims of the 2000 terrorist attack against the USS Cole guided missile destroyer, Sudan's Justice Ministry said on Thursday, pointing out that Khartoum was not responsible for the incident despite US claims.

"On February 7, a settlement agreement was signed with families of the victims of an attack on the USS Cole that took place in 2000, as part of Sudan's efforts to remove the country from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement reiterated that the Sudanese government was not responsible for the attack nor was it behind any other act of terrorism.

"The government accepted the agreement because of its desire to drop historical charges of terrorism left by the former regime," the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Tribune news outlet reported earlier on Thursday that Khartoum had agreed to settle the case for $30 million. The money will be split among the victims' families.

In October 2000, terrorists attacked USS Cole in the Yemeni port city of Aden, leaving 17 US sailors dead and dozens of people injured. Four years later, a US court ruled that the al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) caused an explosion with Sudan's assistance. The court ordered Khartoum to pay $35 million in the form of compensation, but the Sudanese Supreme Court rejected this request.