Day: March 1, 2023

Traders, vendors, consumers, and economists in Khartoum denounced the doubling of customs duties on more than 100 import commodities and the Ministry of Finance’s intention to lift subsidies on gas, warning of dire consequences. The amendments to several laws by the Ministry of Finance aim to give the military institution more power over the economy, a lawyer told Radio Dabanga.

Various people from Omdurman told Radio Dabanga that “the unjustified increase” in customs duties from 15 to 30 per cent “will worsen livelihoods even more.”

A merchant at the Omdurman Market said that they all are affected by the increases, which he said would lead to more economic stagnation. “The month of Ramadan is approaching and people need to buy extra commodities to prepare for the fasting month,” he said.

Ibrahim Abdallah said that lifting gas subsidies will increase people’s suffering. The increase in customs will affect prices and lead to further weakening of purchasing power, said the Mansoura neighbourhood grocery owner.

Shopper Fatima Adam called on Sudanese politicians “to abandon their conflicts over seats and deal with the disastrous economic situation.”

Amal El Sayed, a housewife, complained that she is forced to sell homemade ice cream on the street to supplement their household expenses.

Amna, another housewife, also complained about the deterioration of the economic situation with the advent of the month of Ramadan. “The increase in customs duties on imported goods will definitely increase our suffering and lead to hunger, as many people hardly eat enough anymore.”

People in Darfur also rejected the recent “unfair decisions” taken by the Ministry of Finance. El Tijani Yousef, head of the West Darfur Chamber of Commerce, said that the 100 per cent increase in customs duties already led to a significant rise in prices.

“The country has been in a state of general stagnation for months. Many exports and imports have already stopped.” He called on politicians to give priority to the “common interest” and end the current political, economic, and security crises by reaching a consensus.

Economic consequences

The decision to increase customs duties has been described by many economists as “adding fuel to the fire” of Sudan’s economic malaise. Economist Haisam Fathi confirmed that the increase will increase poverty rates in the country, especially since the poverty rate already exceeds 65 per cent.

He told Radio Dabanga that “the decision of the Finance Ministry is bad and ill-considered” and explained that “the government wants to use the levies to finance the budget.?The 2023 national budget depends on customs fees and an increase in service fees.”

He called on the authorities “to limit the spread of financial and administrative corruption, along with unemployment, instead of exhausting people through levies.”

The economist explained that “the problem of the Sudanese economy is represented in the lack of volume of exports and dependence on imports, which led to the scarcity of foreign currencies and rise of the exchange rate.”?

He said that “the government’s random behaviour has led to an imbalance in the general budget and an increase in the deficit. They should focus on investment, production, and export. The volume of imports should be reduced and localising production in Sudan should be prioritised, as “the country lacks policies protecting domestic industries,” said Fathi.

“Recession and reduced household purchasing power are major concerns in the aftermath of the coup, and will likely drive Sudan’s economic growth rate into negative territory,” according to a report by the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker published on February 20. The widening trade deficit is “mainly due to a nearly fivefold increase in petroleum imports.”

Military control

As for the various amendments to laws by the Ministry of Finance earlier this month, lawyer Samir Sheikh Idris told Radio Dabanga that “the new authority over public money aims to give the military control over large parts of the Sudanese economy. In this way, the security and military companies are able to escape accountability.”

He wondered about “the purpose of making law amendments related to economic aspects at a time when a final agreement on power and wealth sharing and legal reforms between the military junta and the civilian opposition is to be expected soon.”

Idris said that the amendments “were engineered according to the will of the coup d’état authorities to shape the future.”?He explained that “the subordination of the General Audit Bureau to the Finance Ministry aims to evade economic accountability for companies related to the military and security apparatus.”?

The lawyer did not rule out that the amendments were done to satisfy international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund to accelerate debt relief. The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan will rise to 15.8 million in 2023, equivalent to about a third of the population, which represents an increase of 1.5 million over 2022, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) in Sudan.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Authorities in Red Sea state detained two leaders of the Ports Workers Union following protests against the privatisation of terminals of the?Green Harbour on the east side of?Port Sudan. Oil workers were detained inside their residential compound following a protest at Sufyan oil field in Abu Karinka, East Darfur.

Port workers said that the authorities “lured” trade union leaders Osman Taher and Siddig Abu Samra and detained them in Port Sudan on Tuesday.

On Monday and Tuesday, seaports workers staged protests to reject the privatisation of the Green Harbour terminals, during the visit of the ministers of Finance and Transportation to Red Sea state. There was a significant security presence at the Coral Hotel in Port Sudan where the ministerial delegation participated in a blue economy workshop.

Abboud Sherbini, a ports trade union leader, told Radio Dabanga that the protests aimed to send a message about the workers’ rejection of privatising the Green Harbour terminals to the acting ministers of Finance and Transportation.

He said that the new general manager of the Green Harbour, Captain Mohamed Mukhtar, agrees with the demands of the workers.?

Trade union leader Osman Taher, in a speech to the protest vigil in front of the Coral Hotel on Monday, demanded the dismissal of the Minister of Transportation.

He said that he holds him accountable for the plans to sell the ports. The workers “refuse any kind of deal during the current constitutional vacuum and in the absence of a government.” He threatened to escalate the protests if the Green Harbour terminals are privatised.

Workers at the Southern Port in Port Sudan went on strike against the appointment of a new executive director for the southern port by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on December 10, 2020.

The workers in Port Sudan have a long history of resisting privatisation in the port, fearing that it will steer money and power away from workers.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, acting Foreign Minister Ali El Sadig says an agreement designed to enable banks to perform their role in the development of Sudan’s economy, has been negotiated between Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and the private sectors. He said that the Sudanese and Emirati delegations “agreed to establish large strategic economic partnerships in roads, ports, railway, military cooperation, and exchange of experiences”.

Oil field closure

On Sunday, protesters closed the Sufyan oil field in Abu Karinka to call for improved development and employment by the companies operating in the area.

After communication with the petrol energy company management, the Oil Workers Association denounced the proposed security and evacuation plan for the staff. “It made the workers at the site suffer critical and disturbing living and security conditions.”

The Association holds the company and the Ministry of Energy and Oil responsible for the safety of the workers.

One day of closure is estimated to cause losses of 4,000 barrels of light crude oil production, the Oil Workers Association said in a statement on Monday.

Oil workers were detained inside their residential compound and the electricity generators were cut off during the protest.

Late October, the Oil Workers Association reported that protesters closed the El Neem, Dafra, and Balila oil fields in West Kordofan. The pipeline connecting the Heglig-Khartoum Refinery and Port Sudan was also blocked. The statement accused the acting Minister of Energy and Oil, Mohamed Abdalla, and “the opportunists around him” of ignoring reports about the deteriorating security situation in the El Neem, Balila and Dafra oil fields.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Skyline International for Human Rights is “astonished” by the decision of the Sudanese authorities to refuse the official registration of the Journalists Syndicate within the country’s trade unions, according to a press statement on Monday.

The Registrar General of Labor Organisations justified its refusal to accept the Journalists Syndicate’s application on the pretext that it violated the 2010 Law on Trade Unions. The international organisation, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, stressed that “this delay and refusal is an incomprehensible violation of the legal provisions that guarantee it.”

20 trade unions and professional associations issued a joint statement expressing their condemnation: “The refusal of the existing authority to recognise democratic trade unions is a violation of human rights.”

They pointed out that the refusal “is considered an abandonment of Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise,” which Sudan has ratified and which has been in force since March 2022. The joint statement called on all independent and emerging trade union organisations to join the international labour principles and declare their trade union solidarity with the Journalists Syndicate and other trade union organisations.

Skyline expressed concern that “the decision not to register the Journalists Syndicate may have a political dimension, especially as local human rights news and reports reflect an escalation in arrests and detentions of dissidents, media workers, and activists under the pretext of belonging to the former regime and committing crimes against the state.”

Skyline called on the Sudanese authorities “to allow the Journalists Syndicate to be registered in the lists of professional syndicates and to grant it the necessary licenses based on Sudanese and international legislation.” The organisation also called for the cease of “persecution and arrest campaigns against dissidents, activists, and journalists.”

On October 24, Sudan’s Supreme Court decreed the reinstatement of the unions and federations that were dissolved by the now-disbanded Empowerment Removal Committee* in March 2019 and cancel all the procedures that resulted from ERC’s work. These unions were suspended again at the end of November.

Since last October’s military coup, Sudanese state ministers and officials have resorted to practices?used by the former regime of dictator Omar Al Bashir, such?as piling on bureaucratic procedures to extract profit and attempting to interfere in NGO procurements, according to aid workers, experts, and UN agencies.

On October 23, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) cancelled the registration of the Sudanese Consumer Protection Society, after telecom companies cut off the internet connection of the Association despite a number of official complaints.

The controversial cancellation came almost two months after the HAC allowed the re-registration of 23 non-governmental organisations and associations which “represent hidden facades” of the dissolved NCP.

Source: Radio Dabanga