Sudan to get US funding after terror delisting, says finance minister

Sudan will receive US financial assistance when the African nation’s long-standing designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is lifted, the finance minister said, hours after the Trump administration indicated the step is imminent.
 

“We all know that Sudan is witnessing hardship and needs urgent assistance, so the US would help with a package of aid and some money,” Heba Mohammed Ali said in a phone interview from Khartoum. She declined to give any details, including on the amount.
 

President Donald Trump said in a tweet Monday that he intends to remove Sudan from the list after authorities agreed to pay $335 million in compensation to families of Americans killed in bombings in East Africa in the 1990s that Sudan’s previous government under dictator Omar al-Bashir was accused of supporting.
 

The delisting, which requires US congressional notification but not approval, has been keenly sought by the transitional government that took over after Bashir’s ouster last year. It has previously said the US tried to link the discussions with potential Sudanese recognition of Israel.
 

Ali didn’t comment on any agreements that might be connected to the removal of the 27-year designation. Describing a delisting as “historic,” Ali said economically ravaged Sudan would be able to integrate itself with the global financial system, move toward resolving its debts and revitalizing investment.
 

Inflation in Sudan hit more than 210% in September, with the economy forecast to contract 7.2% this year.