Sudan PM Abdalla Hamdok urges US to remove Khartoum from terrorism list

Hamdok, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, said the sanctions had caused "tremendous suffering" to civilians in the country.

While the US lifted most of its sanctions on Sudan two years ago, the process of removing all of the crippling sanctions and striking Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list ground to a halt when protests broke out in the country last December.

"The people of Sudan are seeking to start a new phase, different from the past three decades, reaching out to our neighbours and to the world," Hamdok said. 

"We are committed to the principles of international human rights law in order to eliminate discrimination, exploitation, injustice and inequality," he added.

"Therefore we call on the United States to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and to stop punishing the people of Sudan for crimes committed by the former regime."

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The US originally imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1993 after designating the regime of Omar al-Bashir a state sponsor of international terrorism following attacks in Kenya and Tanzania.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday praised "a new Sudan" following the country's transition to democracy, calling the formation of the first civilian-led government since Bashir was ousted "a pivotal moment of change and hope." 

He urged the international community to work towards removing Sudan from Washington's terrorism list.

Khartoum is currently unable to receive aid from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank due to the listing.

The army overthrew Bashir in a palace coup on 11 April on the back of months of nationwide protests.

But a military council seized power after ousting him and for months resisted calls from protesters to transfer it to a civilian administration.

Only last month after sustained agitation, a joint civilian-military sovereign council was sworn in to oversee Sudan's transition to civilian rule, the key demand of protesters.

On 8 September, Sudan's first cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was sworn in to run the daily affairs of the country.

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