WORLD

World Bank suspends aid to Sudan after military coup

The World Bank said Wednesday it has suspended aid to Sudan following Monday’s military takeover by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that toppled the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok.

“I am greatly concerned by recent events in Sudan, and I fear the dramatic impact this can have on the country’s social and economic recovery and development,” World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement.

It was the latest blow to the impoverished African nation that had just won its way back into good standing with major Washington-based development lenders after years in the wilderness.

World Bank suspends aid to Sudan after military coup

The military on Monday seized Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and briefly detained him in the coup that came just over two years into a precarious power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians after the army ousted longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The World Bank “paused disbursements in all of its operations in Sudan on Monday and it has stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation,” Malpass said.

“We hope that peace and the integrity of the transition process will be restored, so that Sudan can restart its path of economic development and can take its rightful place in the international financial community,” Malpass said.

Sudan had been emerging from decades of stringent US sanctions after Washington removed the country from its state sponsor of terrorism blacklist in December 2020, eliminating a major hurdle to much-needed aid and financial investment.

The World Bank and IMF in June granted Sudan debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, cutting the nation’s debt in half to about $28 billion, and the institutions have offered additional help if economic reforms continue.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has said it suspended Sudan from all its activities after the country’s military overthrew the civilian-led transitional government in a coup.

The African Union Political Affairs, Peace and Security on Wednesday tweeted the news of the suspension, an expected move typically taken in the wake of military coups.

In a communiqué, the pan-African body said the suspension would be in place until “the effective restoration” of the transitional authority steering the country towards elections.

AUPSC decided to suspend the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority and welcomes the release of the PM, even as it called for the immediate release of the ministers and civilian officials in detention.

Meanwhile, state oil company workers and doctors said they would join a growing campaign of civil disobedience called by a coalition of unions against the power grab.

General al-Burhan imposed a nationwide state of emergency across the country and dissolved Hamdok’s transitional government and the top ruling body, the Sovereign Council, a joint military-civilian power-sharing authority.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close