British business with Sudan booms, British Airways to resume flights for first time since 1990

KHARTOUM, Egypt, Mar 03, 2004 (AP) — British exports to Sudan rose 27 percent last year and more British companies are seeking business in Africa’s largest country as its peace process gathers pace, the British Embassy said in a statement Wednesday.

British Airways plans to resume flights to Khartoum next month after 14 years of suspension, according to advertisements published by the airline in Sudanese newspapers.

Many airlines stopped flying to Sudan in the early 1990s for financial reasons, among them the difficulty of transferring money out of the country.

The embassy statement said British exports to Sudan were worth nearly 89 million British pounds (US$166 million) in 2003, as compared with 70 million pounds ($131 million) in 2002.

“As the peace process draws nearer to a conclusion, more and more companies are keen to do business,” British Ambassador William Patey said, according to the statement.

Negotiations to end Sudan’s civil war, which has been waged in the south of the country since 1983, have yielded significant interim agreements. The negotiators, who meet in Kenya, are expected to reach a comprehensive treaty in the coming months.

However, a rebellion has broken out in the western province of Darfur during the past 12 months.