Barrack Obama, U.S President

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Obama

administration on Friday moved to lift the trade

embargo against Sudan in response to the East

African nation’s recent cooperation in helping to

tackle terrorism.

The lifting of the sanctions slapped on Sudan by

the Clinton administration will, however, be delayed

by 180 days to encourage Sudan to do more to

fight terrorism and improve its record on human

rights, the White House said in a statement.

“I have determined that the situation that gave rise

to the actions taken in those orders related to the

policies and actions of the government of Sudan

has been altered by Sudan’s positive actions over

the past six months,” US President Barack

Obama wrote in a letter to members of Congress.

The United States first imposed sanctions on

Sudan in 1997, including a trade embargo and

blocking the government’s assets, for human

rights violations and terrorism concerns.

The United States layered on more sanctions in 2006

for what it said was complicity in the violence in

Sudan’s Darfur region.

There were signs last year of a thaw in relations

between Sudan and the United States, which

accuses Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of

war crimes related to the conflict-torn Darfur

region.

Friday’s move does not impact Sudan’s label as a

state sponsor of terrorism, the White House said.

On Sept. 20, the State Department welcomed

efforts by Sudan to increase counter-terrorism

cooperation with the United States.

(Reuters/NAN)