Hamdock reveals imminent settlement with victims of the Washington and Kenya embassies

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdock said in an interview in Washington that his country was just weeks away from reaching a settlement with the families of the victims of the attacks on the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

Such a settlement would be considered if one of the last steps in removing the name of Sudan from the American list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to the Wall Street Journal that published the interview.

Hamdock concluded his historic visit to Washington last Thursday, during which he sought to persuade the President Donald Trump's administration and government agencies there that Sudan opened a new page after a popular revolution that toppled the regime of President Omar al-Bashir earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal says in its report that removing the name of Sudan from the US blacklist after 25 years would re-arrange the conditions of geopolitics in the Northeast African region "the troubled and crouched strategy of waterways through which 10% of the global trade movement passes."

Bombings and victims
In addition to seeking a settlement with the families of the victims of the bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Hamdouk said his government is seeking to conclude an agreement with the wounded of the bombing of the American destroyer "Cole" on October 12, 2000 while it is docked in the port of Aden in southern Yemen for refueling.

Fifteen injured sailors and three of their wives filed a lawsuit against the government of Sudan in 2010 in Washington on charges of providing the government of Omar al-Bashir at the time support to al Qaeda to carry out the bombing.

The newspaper indicates that the lawyers assigned to defend the victims of the destroyer did not respond to its inquiries in this regard.

And in late March, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sudan in the compensation claim claimed by those affected by the attack on the USS Cole.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturns another ruling issued by a lower court in 2012 that allows the affected and their families to claim compensation from Khartoum in the amount of $ 314.7 million, because they claimed that the latter was involved in supporting the al-Qaeda organization that adopted the attack.

Destabilizing force
Hamdouk - the first Sudanese leader to visit the American capital since 1985 - stated that he wanted to end the role of Sudan as a destabilizing force in the region, restore the thousands of Sudanese soldiers fighting alongside the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen, and curb the Sudanese fighting in militia in Libya.

"If we achieve stability in Sudan, he will have the opportunity and the ability to have a multiplier effect in establishing peace and bringing prosperity to the whole region," he said.

The United States and Sudan agreed last week to upgrade diplomatic ties and exchange ambassadors for the first time after more than twenty years.

But to end its international isolation - according to the Wall Street Journal report - Sudan needs to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has paralyzed its economy and prevented its access to global markets.

Two major hurdles
In the interview, Hamdouk asserted that Sudan had extensive discussions with the United States and met most of its requirements, and that there are only two main obstacles left, namely, the settlement of issues related to terrorist attacks and cooperation with Washington on combating terrorism.

He explained that he had a vision of the United States launching a counter-terrorism operation in Sudan along the lines of its support model in the African Sahel region, where American forces and military contractors are deployed alongside local forces to help counter armed groups there.

"When it comes to fighting terrorism, we want to benefit from American expertise not only in the field of training, but also in the collection and exchange of intelligence and equipment," he said.

He added that Sudan borders seven countries. "There is Boko Haram on (our borders) in the west, the Mujahideen Youth Movement (Somali) in the east, and Al Qaeda and ISIS (Islamic State) in the north and the outskirts."

The Transitional Prime Minister went on to say that the Sudanese economy is in urgent need of a respite from sanctions, and rely on financial support worth three billion dollars from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to provide basic commodities such as fuel, wheat and agricultural fertilizers.

On the three-year transitional period, Hamdock said it is necessary to allow political parties to organize themselves after decades of clandestine work in preparation for the country's transition to a democracy.