There are two main problems with this approach. First, nothing concrete has changed on the ground in Sudan at a level of significance that justifies such a sweeping move. There is no peace deal, or even peace process, that holds any hope of ending the interlocking deadly wars throughout the country. Not one additional person has begun receiving food or medical assistance, even though there has been bureaucratic progress in the relationship between aid agencies and the Sudan regime. And the sanctions relief came before the true test of military restraint on the battlefield could be assessed, as most government offensives don’t start in full every year until February or March because of weather patterns. Second, just as sanctions were starting to really bite, finally, after twenty years, the leverage that could be used with a full battery of sanctions was removed, albeit temporarily. Better to use that leverage in support of real change on the ground in the form of a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access for the millions who don’t have it now, and ultimately a peace deal that ends the horror for the people of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile regions.
Source: Modernize, don’t remove, Sudan’s sanctions | TheHill