Obama renews sanctions against Sudan

US President says the crisis constituted by the government, which caused the sanctions, hasn’t yet been resolvedUS President Barack Obama renewed sanctions against Sudan on Tuesday, attributing his decision to the continuing crisis in Darfur.Obama said in a letter that the “crisis constituted by the actions and policies of the government” that led to the implementation of the emergency law in 1997 still persists.Obama added, “These actions and policies are hostile to US interests and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”In his message to the Congress, he suggested that the extension of the sanctions includes expanding the scope of the emergency law to impose freezing of property of some Sudanese officials involved in the Darfur conflict.As a response to the renewal of the sanctions, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the sanctions were intended to “harm vital interests of the people of Sudan.”