Johannesburg - Sudan is pushing to be officially removed from the US’ list of countries “sponsoring terrorism”, only days after new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok took charge of the country’s new civilian-military transitional government which is set to rule the country for just over three years until elections are held.
As the North African country begins a new chapter of its history, Hamdok said lifting the sanctions was a priority as "democratic Sudan was not a threat to anybody in the world", Al-Jazeera reported.
The sanctions were imposed by Washington in 1993 after ousted former President Omar Al Bashir and many high-ranking government officials were blacklisted by the Americans, a move that contributed to the country’s crippled economy.
Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court, based in the Hague in the Netherlands, for alleged crimes against humanity, relating specifically to the genocide in Darfur.
Should Hamdok be successful in his bid, Sudan would be able to receive much needed foreign investment and a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.