U.S. reinstates Sudan's sovereign immunity, authorizes funds to help pay debt

Sudan had been engaged in talks with the United States for months, and paid a negotiated $335 million settlement to victims of al-Qaeda attacks. 

The United States on Monday reinstated Sudan’s sovereign immunity, as the U.S. Congress passed legislation formalizing the move, following the ending of Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terror.

However, the legislation includes an exemption allowing lawsuits by the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States already underway in U.S. courts to move forward, although experts say Sudan is unlikely to lose those cases.