Central Bank of Sudan, Khartoum

Khartoum : The Central Bank of Sudan announced on Wednesday the release of some of the frozen assets that had been blocked due to the sanctions imposed on the country by the United States.

“Some of the funds have been released during the past period,” Central Bank Governor Hazem Abdelkader said in a press statement, without elaborating on the details of the amounts.

Former US President Barack Obama had eased the sanctions in January, but kept Sudan on review for six months, a period that ended on July 12. The United States had delayed the full lifting of its sanctions on Sudan for another six months until July 12.

However, Obama’s successor President Donald Trump has prolonged the review period to October 12 before his administration decides whether or not to permanently lift the 20-year-old sanctions.

In a meeting held in Khartoun, Abdelkader called on the directors of Sudanese banks to continue to contact with international banks in order to activate transactions, strengthen banking relations and create an internal environment for the banks, in preparation for the permanent lifting of the US embargo on October 12.

—AB/IINA