S. Arabia says working on removing Sudan from US 'terror list'

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia said on Sunday the kingdom was working on removing Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The announcement came during an official visit of a Sudanese delegation, including new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, to Riyadh.

“The kingdom [is] working on: Removing Sudan from the US terrorism list,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Twitter.

The statement also said that Saudi Arabia was working on “establishing ambitious investment projects”. 

It did not elaborate further. 

Since 1993, Riyadh ally Washington has included Sudan on its state sponsors of terrorism list, although in October 2017 it ended its decades-long trade sanctions.

Saudi King Salman met on Sunday with the new prime minister and Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, head of Sudan’s joint civilian-military ruling council, and discussed bilateral cooperation. 

Sudan established the joint council in August and Hamdok heads the country’s first cabinet since the toppling of long-time ruler Omar Al Bashir, who was pushed out by the military during months-long protests in April this year.

Sudan plays a key role in the regional interests of Saudi Arabia and its allies, siding with Riyadh against Shiite Iran and providing troops in the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen’s war against Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.

After Bashir’s downfall, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates promised in April to inject $500 million into Sudan’s central bank and $2.5 billion to help provide food, medicine and petroleum products.

They did not specify if the money was a gift or a loan.