Sudan ‘must pay’ US East African embassy terror attack on victims

Sudan 'must pay' US East African embassy terror attack on victims
Sudan ‘must pay’ US East African embassy terror attack on victims

The US supreme court wants Sudan to pay punitive damages to some of the 1998 embassy bombing casualties in Kenya and Tanzania. The terror attack by the al-Qaeda that took place 22 years down the line.

In the attack, more than 200 deaths and thousands of casualties blamed on the Sudan government. For reasons of supporting the al-Qaeda operation. And its leader Osama Bin Laden with financial and technical support.

The Supreme Court ruling applies to the US national, embassy workers, and contractors.

The decision comes at a time when Sudan is under a new government and trying to push for the country’s name out of the US’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sudan Government Denies Terror link

The decision by the US Supreme Court means that the wholesome amount worth $800 million out of the rest of $ 4 billion has been reinstated. According to Christopher Curran, who was representing Sudan, the amount awarded to restore the damages in 2011 has been returned to the donors.

In the past nine years, the Chief Judge in the Federal District Court in Washington DC said that Sudan should be held responsible and pay back approximately $6 billion. The amount to deserve as compensation and also $4 billion for punitive damages.

Back in 2017, Sudan advanced in the court proceedings on the case. And successfully challenged the ruling on the penal damages. In the attempt, she was saying that they were awarded under a 2008 amendment to a law. That could not be applied to something that happened 20 years down the line.

However, The Supreme Court decided on Monday that Congress considered all the arguments. And found the case could be used retrospectively.

“As always, Sudan expresses sympathy for the victims of the acts of terrorism at issue. But reaffirms that it was not involved in any wrongdoing in connection with those acts.” Says Christopher Curran.

The case of punitive harms for other countries. Kenya, for example, and other nationals who were not directly working for the US embassy, as well as a non-US relative of the casualties of the attack, was referred to the lower court.

The fate of Sudan on the Case

The terror victim’s representative, Matthew McGill, says that there are high hopes that the Sudan government will soon be held responsible and pay for the victims.

The total $6 billion was not in dispute in this case, and in February this year, it was found that Sudan was in negotiations for the sum to be paid.

As at that time, the Sudan government accepted to compensate families of 17 US sailors who died in their ship. The terror group bombed the USS Cole at a port in Yemen in 2000.

This was a great move set by the US for Sudan to be deleted from its blacklist. This would allow all the sanctions to be lifted for the Sudan government.

The current state

Sudan’s new government in power is working hard to restore relations with the US. This is significantly necessary to help the country to have better relationships with the US. In a bid to help in ending economic isolation between the two nations.

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