US eases sanctions on parts of Sudan

September 9, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The US department of Treasury published a new ruling today relaxing sanctions on parts of Sudan with regards to certain items.
The areas included in today’s ruling were already exempt from the comprehensive sanctions imposed by the US since 1997 for humanitarian reasons.
However, the designated regions are still covered by sanctions on any dealings that involve the government of Sudan or the petroleum industry.
In 2006, the US treasury defined the exempted regions to comprise of Southern Sudan, Southern Kordofan/Nuba Mountains State, Blue Nile State, Abyei, Darfur, and marginalized areas in and around Khartoum.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) suggested in its press release that there was a technical loophole in the exemption as a result of Sudan being designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The US bans “any export of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices” to any government labeled as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Trade in these items will be authorized to these specific areas effective immediately.
The announcement comes as the US special envoy Scott Gration started today a five day visit to Sudan for discussions on the Darfur peace process and the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Gration has been a proponent of easing sanctions on Sudan and lifting the latter from the list of states that are sponsors of terrorism. However, the US envoy later backed down from his earlier statements and instead called for “smart sanctions” that excludes the South.
The US is reportedly wrapping up its comprehensive policy review of Sudan that is supposed to look into the sanctions in place and incentives in return for progress on the Darfur and North-South peace process as well as democratic transformation and human rights.
Sudan has been pushing the US for normalizing relations hoping that the administration of President Barack Obama would take a different approach than its predecessor.
(ST)