The Questionable Case for Easing Sudan Sanctions

The Obama administration's justification of its decision on sanctions relief was done in the absence of any congressional consultation. The entire sanctions easing process will be fully effective 6 months from the date of announcement, 6 months from January 13, 2017. The Sudanese Government has long sought sanctions relief in Congress and successive administrations have considered such relief as an incentive for Khartoum to reach and abide by various peace agreements. The Obama administration, in its last days in office in January, purported to see justification in ending a sanctions regime built over decades. In its announcement on the easing of sanctions, the Obama administration declared positive actions by the Sudanese Government in five key areas. One, rebuilding counterterrorism cooperation; two, countering the threat of the Lord's Resistance Army; three, ending negative involvement in South Sudan's conflict- one of our witnesses will testify later negative involvement was never really defined; four, sustaining a unilateral cessation of hostilities in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile provinces; and five, improving humanitarian access throughout Sudan. Missing in this list of positive developments are improvements in the overall human rights situation in Sudan including and especially sex and labor trafficking, as Sudan is listed as a Tier 3 country on the State Department's list, meaning Sudan doesn't meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. On religious freedom, Sudan continues to get a failing grade as well from the State Department and has been designated, again, a country of particular concern, which subjects it to other sanctions. Various reports also indicate that attacks on civilians including, sexual-based violence, continues by government and allied forces.