Sudan removed from religious freedom blacklist

KHARTOUM - Transitional authority in Sudan could be headed in the right direction following the latest node from the United States after decades of internal misrule.

The United States on Friday removed Sudan from the religious blacklist in a major milestone towards revamping the economy of the North Africa nation.

Abdalla Hamdok, who took over as Prime Minister in September, has been spearheading radical reforms that include respecting freedom of worship.

Nine countries remained on the blacklist including Pakistan, which was designated in 2018 after years of US hesitation over concerns on the treatment of minorities including through an abuse of a blasphemy law, which can carry the death penalty.

"No country, entity or individual should be able to persecute people of faith without accountability," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

Also on the list was China, which according to rights groups and US officials, has incarcerated at least one million Uighurs and other Muslims, and US ally Saudi Arabia, which imposes the rigid Wahabi school of Islam.

The other countries on the list were Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Blacklisted countries risk being subjected to economic sanctions by the world's largest economy, a move that usually affects growth.

"We have acted, and we will continue to do so," he said, calling religious freedom a priority for President Donald Trump's administration.

The State Department added Cuba, Nicaragua, and Nigeria to a watchlist of countries that could face a full designation if they do not improve their records.

For decades, religious discrimination has been the order of the day in Sudan, leading to an outcry by Christian minority groups.

But since the ouster of Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan has started embracing religion, forcing the US to drop sanctions in the latest dramatic move.

However, Sudan will now be hoping to also get a reprieve over terrorism designation following decades of blockades by the US.

A fortnight ago, Hamdok visited the US where he pleaded to have terrorism sanctions dropped. Sudan is accused of hosting slain terrorist Osama Bin Laden in the 90s.

In return, Hamdok told Washington, Sudan would pay $6 billion to families of victims of 1998 bombings at US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Al-Bashir, who was ousted in April this year, was taken to prison where he's facing money laundering and fraud charges. He will also be questioned over the 1989 coup.

The civil unrest that started in December 2018 led to the ouster of the former strong man, who is also wanted by the ICC over Darfur genocide.

GAROWE ONLINE