Addis Ababa, 7 October 2017: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomes the decision by the Government of the United States of America to permanently lift the economic and trade sanctions imposed on Sudan since 1997. These sanctions had a negative impact on the country and the lives of the ordinary people of Sudan.

The Chairperson of the Commission believes that this decision is a reflection of a new dawn in the relations between the governments of Sudan and the United States of America. This rapprochement should, therefore, be embraced and nurtured, in order to pave the way for further progress towards addressing other issues of concern. In this regard, the Chairperson expresses the hope that, sooner rather than later, the United States will also remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in view of the widely acknowledged cooperation Sudan has been extending to international efforts to curb terrorism

The Chairperson of the Commission wishes to stress that the AU remains fully seized of the situation in Sudan and will continue to work, through the AU High Level Panel on Sudan and South Sudan (AUHIP), to assist in addressing outstanding challenges facing the Republic of Sudan.