Foreign policy and sanctions

Executive Order 13761: Recognizing Positive Actions by the Government of Sudan and Providing for the Revocation of Certain Sudan-Related Sanctions

President: Barack Obama

Set a conditional process that ultimately lifted the broad US trade embargo and government-blocking sanctions on Sudan.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13761 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13761 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13761 do?

EO 13761 set a conditional path to revoke specified broad Sudan sanctions if Sudan sustained progress on five policy tracks. EO 13804 extended the review to October 2017, when those revocations took effect. Treasury confirms the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations were removed in 2018. The Darfur sanctions under EO 13400 and later conflict-related sanctions under EO 14098 are separate and remain available. The underlying Sudan emergency has not been terminated.

Administration position: The order lifted specified broad sanctions only after a review; it did not normalize every legal restriction involving Sudan or protect later destabilizing actors from sanctions.
SignedJanuary 13, 2017
Review extendedEO 13804, July 2017
Specified sanctions liftedOctober 12, 2017

Before and after

Before the order

EO 13067 and EO 13412 broadly blocked Sudanese government property and restricted trade.

After the order

Those specified provisions ended, while Darfur and later conflict-related authorities remained available.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
State DepartmentEvaluate sustained progressCompleted
Treasury OFACImplement revocation and remove obsolete regulationsCompleted
Treasury OFACAdminister remaining and later Sudan programsContinuing

What happened next

EO 13761 established conditional relief.

EO 13804 extended the review.

Specified revocations took effect.

OFAC removed 31 CFR part 538.

EO 14098 created a separate Sudan sanctions authority.