
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his country will removeSudanfrom its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside the $335 million it has agreed to pay to American victims of militant attacks and their families.
The move is being considereda landmark boost for the civilian-backed government as it turns the page on the nation's decades as an international pariah.
Sudanis one of four nations branded by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism, along with Iran, North Korea, and Syria, severely impeding economic development, with few major foreign investors willing to run afoul of US laws.
Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to its toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir, who had welcomed Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden as he imposed a brand of political Islamism on the country.
Many inSudansay the designation, imposed in 1993 because Washington believed Bashir was supporting militant groups, has become outdated since he was removed last year andSudanhas long cooperated on counterterrorism.
The conflict-ridden nation experienced a historic shift last year as Bashir was ousted in the face of youth-led street protests and a civilian-backed transitional government was later installed.
Trump's announcement marks "the strongest support toSudan's transition to democracy and to the Sudanese people," said Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a reform-minded economist and face of the government that will rule until 2022 elections.