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Trump grants immunity over 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Sudan deal

Dec. 22, 2020 07:56AM EST
 Dan Ackermann

President Trump signed a bill Monday that will give Sudan immunity from future lawsuits by the victims of the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa and provide Sudan with close to a billion dollars in U.S. financial aid and loans. But the bill will not give Sudan immunity from lawsuits by families of 9/11 victims. 

Why it matters: The legal piece was a critical element in the deal between the Trump administration and Sudan, which included removing the country from the the state sponsors of terrorism list and the normalization of Sudanese relations with Israel.

  • The signing of the bill will allow this process to continue. 
  • In recent weeks, there were intense diplomatic and political negotiations in Washington over the bill.
  • The Sudanese government demanded full legal immunity, but a group of Democrats Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.) refused to give Sudan immunity over future lawsuits by 9/11 victims. 

Flashback: Secret Israel-Sudan contacts enabled deal sealed by Trump

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