Forget about $700 million aid, US tells Sudan

The United States government has suspended the $700 million emergency assistance it pledged to Sudan after learning of the military coup in the country.

On Monday, Sudan’s military toppled the civilian government and conducted a crackdown on the dissenting civilian leaders such as Prime Minister Dr Abdalla Hamdok whose whereabouts remained unknown. 

In response, the US cancelled the assistance it had approved in a budget bill for the 2020-2021 fiscal financial year. The money was meant for supporting Sudan’s democratic transition.

 A press statement from the United States Department of States, seen by The City Review, noted that the ‘‘actions by Sudan’s military forces have the potential to derail the country’s transition to democracy and are a betrayal of Sudan’s peaceful revolution’’.

The US had repeatedly warned that any changes by forces to the transitional government risked leading to the stoppage of the assistance. 

“In light of these developments, the United States is immediately pausing the delivery of $700 million in emergency Economic Support Funds to Sudan, which were intended to support the country’s democratic transition while we evaluate next steps,” the Secretary of State, Antony J Blinken, said in the statement. 

“The United States firmly supports the Sudanese people’s demand for a civilian-led transition to democracy. We are working closely and on an urgent basis with our partners to chart a common diplomatic approach to address these actions and to prevent them from leading to further instability in Sudan and the region.”

On his part, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Edward Ned Price said the United States rejected the dissolution of the civilian’s government and called for the immediate refurbishment of the former government. 

“The arrest of Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok and other civilian leaders is unacceptable. We call on the security forces to ensure their safety and to release them immediately,” Price tweeted yesterday.   

He reiterated the US support for the right of Sudanese people to assemble peacefully in support of democracy 

“We are gravely concerned about reports that Sudanese security forces have used live ammunition against peaceful protesters. Security officials should immediately cease the use of violence against peaceful protesters. We also urge the restoration of Internet services,” the statement read in part. 

The US said the actions contravene Sudan’s Constitutional Declaration and undermine the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people who have repeatedly called for peace, justice, and liberty in their country.

They predicted that an immediate return to the principles of Sudan’s peaceful revolution and the transitional framework laid out in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration and the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement is essential.

 “Concerns about the uneven pace of the democratic transition do not justify abandoning this path,” Ned said.

The Lt. Gen. Abdal Fattah al-Burhan defunct head of Sudan Sovereign Council had declared a state of emergency and dissolution of council and government on Monday.

Lt. Gen. Fattah said the military would continue with the democratic transition until the power is handed to a civilian government in the 2023 general elections.

Al-Burhan revealed that he was keeping Hamdok at his home for the latters’ safety that he would be released in due course.

 What happened…

While giving an address after the takeover, Lt. Gen Al-Burhan appeared to be firefighting with a justification that the military officers were obligated to restore ‘‘safety and security after heeding to the calls by the concerned members of the public.’’ 

Media reports revealed that the former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok’s whereabouts remained unknown with other international media such as Aljazeera saying he is under security detention for failing to back the coup.

“After he refused to be a part of the coup, a force from the army detained Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and took him to an unidentified location,” information Minister, Hamza Baloul told Aljazeera before his arrest on Monday.

Detentions

Several other civilian officials of the former government, including Minister of Industry Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Governor of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum Ayman Khalid, and Hamdok’s media adviser Faisal Mohammed as well as the Spokesperson of Sudan’s ruling sovereign Council Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman have also been arrested, according to Al Jazeera.