Once a Pariah, Sudan Regains Sovereign Immunity From U.S.

(Bloomberg) -- Sudan on Tuesday welcomed the U.S. Congress’ decision to approve restoring sovereign immunity, in a move that pulled the former terror sponsor back into the international fold and opened the door for economic aid.

The legislation approved late Monday still allows existing lawsuits filed by families of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks to move forward, but shields Sudan from further litigation. The step came after Washington earlier this month removed Sudan from the state sponsor of terror list on which it had lingered for 27 years.

The latest move also includes roughly $1.1 billion in aid, not counting $1 billion that the United States had pledged to the World Bank to cover Sudan’s arrears, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

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