US receives $335M from Sudan for victims of terrorist attacks
Washington (CNN)Secretary of State Tony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that the United States had received the $335 million settlement from Sudan that will be paid out to victims and families of individuals impacted by the 1998 bombings at the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, and the murder of a USAID employee in Khartoum.
"Achieving
compensation for these victims has been a top priority for the
Department of State. We hope this aids them in finding some resolution
for the terrible tragedies that occurred," Blinken said.
The
multi-million dollar settlement was a key component in lifting Sudan's
decades-old state sponsor of terrorism designation, which came with a
series of restrictions including a ban on defense exports and sales and
restrictions on US foreign assistance.
The
Trump administration removed that designation after the $335M was
transferred to an escrow account and after Sudan announced it had agreed to normalize relations with Israel, both in October 2020.
The
money was held in that escrow account until Sudan's sovereign
immunities -- which prevent it from being sued in federal court -- were
restored.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN that the money was released from escrow on March 11.
"The
Department of State received the $335 million in compensation agreed
upon for victims of certain terrorism attacks ... from Sudan via the
release of funds from an escrow account," they said.
Blinken
said Wednesday that the State Department last week "transmitted to
Congress the Secretary's certification restoring Sudan's sovereign
immunities pursuant to the Sudan Claims Resolution Act enacted last
December."
"We
appreciate Sudan's constructive efforts over the past two years to work
with us to resolve these long-outstanding claims," Blinken said. "With
this challenging process behind us, U.S.-Sudan relations can start a new
chapter."
"We
look forward to expanding our bilateral relationship and to continuing
our support for the efforts of the civilian-led transitional government
to deliver freedom, peace, and justice to the Sudanese people," he said.
More than 200 people were killed and thousands were injured in 1998 when twin al Qaeda bombings
rocked the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Sudan, under the leadership of ousted President Omar al-Bashir,
sheltered Osama bin Laden and was found to have assisted the al Qaeda
operatives.
"Families
of the Americans who were killed in the US Embassy bombings are
thankful to the Biden-Harris Administration for following up on the
Trump administration's signing of the US-Sudan Bilateral agreement and
their efforts to finalize implementation," said Edith Bartley, who lost
her father and brother in the Kenya bombing and serves as a spokesperson
for some of the families of Americans who were also killed in the
embassy bombings.
Bartley
said they "are especially thankful to a bipartisan Congressional
coalition that was committed to get the legislation passed last year and
which was spearheaded by Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and supported by
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Sen.
Robert Menendez of New Jersey and House and Senate Leadership."
She
told CNN that she is hopeful that the developments will lead Sudan to
be a key partner for the US in that region of the world.
USAID official John Granville was ambushed and assassinated in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on New Year's Day 2008.
In October 2000, 17 US Navy sailors were killed and 39 were injured when the USS Cole was
attacked by suicide bombers while in Yemen for refueling. Sudan's
government denied its involvement in the attack. In 2014, a US court
concluded that Sudan had provided al Qaeda with aid that led to the
attack.
The
State Department spokesperson said the $335 million from Sudan is "in
addition to $72.5 million in an already paid private settlement with a
number of USS COLE victims."
"This
concludes a multi-year process to negotiate a bilateral claims
agreement and secure the enactment of legislation that provides for the
restoration of Sudan's immunities," they said.
The
Sudan Claims Resolution Act was among the provisions of the omnibus
bill signed by former President Donald Trump in late December. It
restored Sudan's sovereign immunity with an exception for litigation
from 9/11 victims and families. Protection for the pending suit was a
key sticking point in negotiations, as 9/11 families had feared that
earlier iterations of the deal could imperil their case against the
African nation.
The
act also resolved another major point of contention over the earlier
settlement -- unequal compensation for the victims the 1998 attacks on
the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Under the $335M settlement
between the US and Sudan, those who were US citizens at the time of the
bombings would receive more than those who became citizens after the
fact and foreign national embassy employees. The legislation signed into
law as part of the omnibus included $150M in additional funds to allow
for equitable compensation between birthright and naturalized citizens.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/31/politics/sudan-settlement-received/index.html
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