Tracking Down Sudan's Secret Cash
by Alberto M. Fernandez • May 13, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Sudan's former dictator reportedly siphoned off "millions of dollars" from one of the world's poorest nations and sent it to bank accounts in Qatar and Iran.
Sudan's foreign debt is estimated at $62 billion and the transitional government is desperately trying to locate funds to deal with a worsening economic crisis and treat its nation's Covid-19 patients. Sudan has long been ranked as one of the world's poorer nations by United Nations measurements; a quarter of Sudanese live in extreme poverty.
Sudan's transitional government is doing its best, despite the shortcomings and contradictions, trying to improve human rights, provide greater transparency, and address many of the most odious policies of the previous regime. This fragile yet real reformist approach, coupled with Sudan's strategic geopolitical position and importance for US national security, needs a stronger and more tangible response, in terms of assistance, from the West and especially the United States.
American pressure on Qatar and other states to seize any Bashir regime funds and return them to the Sudanese people can and should be part of a new pact to promote reform...
The overthrow of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 brought to an end an almost 30-year regime notable for its brutality, skill in weathering political storms and adapting to be able survive for decades.
Sudan's former dictator reportedly siphoned off "millions of dollars" from one of the world's poorest nations and sent it to bank accounts in Qatar and Iran.
Sudan's foreign debt is estimated at $62 billion and the transitional government is desperately trying to locate funds to deal with a worsening economic crisis and treat its nation's Covid-19 patients. Sudan has long been ranked as one of the world's poorer nations by United Nations measurements; a quarter of Sudanese live in extreme poverty.
