Sudan calls to explain economic sanctions to international commercial banks

Mai 26, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese finance minister has called to explain the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan to the commercials banks which are dealing with the east African country.

Following a series of huge financial sanctions on several international banks for violating U.S sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran, the financial institutions avoid to deal with the Sudanese banks and entities even in the sectors that are not subject to sanctions.

Washington eased the sanctions imposed on agriculture equipment and services, and allowed exports of personal communications hardware and software. Also, the US Treasury Department removed the private Bank of Khartoum from a blacklist of Sudanese entities.

“The US embargo has impacted on the poor and needy segments of the Sudanese people more than the government,” said the Minister of Finance Badr al-Din Mahmoud in statement to Al-Sudani newspaper on Thursday.

Mahmoud who was speaking from Lusaka, Zambia, pointed to the Sudanese Diaspora saying they are the first to be directly concerned by the sanctions because it impedes their efforts to support their families.

He added that discussed the matter with the U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary who is attending the annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Lusaka and with the UK representative at the regional bank.

He said that the ”American side considers it as unilateral sanctions and it should be explained to those who are dealing with us in US Dollar”.

“Certainly we (the government) are dealing with other currencies but not the dollar. This requires an explanation for the intermediary banks that deal with the Sudanese banks,” he added.

Also the minister expressed hopes that a regional clearing and settlement financial system to be set up by the AfDB will contribute to promote and develop trade within the African countries and free them from the international diktat.

Sudan has been under US economic sanctions since 1997 and remains on the US list of state sponsors of terror.

Washington admitted Sudan’s cooperation in the anti-terror war but now points that it wouldn’t remove Sudan from the list of states sponsor of terrorism or left economic sanctions before the end of armed conflicts in Darfur region and Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

(ST)