UN chief calls to remove Sudan from terror list

United Nation Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Wednesday joined calls to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism after the popular revolution that overthrew the regime of Omer al-Bashir.

Guterres made his call in New York at a press conference at the outset of the 74th session of the General Assembly which officially opened on Tuesday 17 September while the high-level General Debate will begin on Tuesday, 24 September 2019.

Responding to a question about the situation in Sudan, the UN chief hailed the political agreement reached last August between the army and the protesters’ coalition to form a transitional authority and to work together to bring peace into the country and achieve democratic reforms.

“Sudan is a matter of great hope for us. I believe that what was possible in the dialogue in Sudan demonstrates that all political conflicts can be solved by dialogue (…), and this should be a lesson for everywhere else in the world,” he said.

“It is time now for the international community to support Sudan,”

He pointed out that the east African country is experiencing “a very dire economic situation (and) in a very dramatic economic situation”.

“I hope that all the restrictions that exist about Sudan, namely, the classification as a country that supports terrorism and sanctions, will be quickly removed,” he stressed.

UN officials say a high-level event on Sudan will be held on the sidelines of the 74th session of the General Assembly to mobilize international support for the country.

However, Trump administration says they do not consider canceling Sudan designation as a terror state for the time being.

But, Guterres warned that the failure of international support to the interim government may hamper its efforts to achieve the transition towards a democratic regime in Sudan

“I hope that there will be a massive mobilisation of resources to support Sudan overcomes the extremely difficult economic situation that the country has, because, if that doesn’t happen, obviously, we risk that the gains in democracy, human rights, and political solutions that were observed could be put into question”.