Sudanese people were ‘beggars’ during pre-Bashir era: official
March 17, 2009 (RIYADH) — A senior Sudanese official hailed accomplishments made in his country since the 1989 coup that brought president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to power.
Ismail was responding to a question on sharp rhetoric by Sudanese officials since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Bashir earlier this month.
“If we were aggressive then just look at the situation in Sudan today, in comparison with the situation in the past” the Sudanese official said.
“When this government came to power the Sudanese people were like beggars…when this government came to power there was no sugar, the Sudanese people used to drink tea with dates” he added.
Sudanese officials often boast that they have boosted economic growth through exploitation of oil reserves despite stiff sanctions imposed by the US.
Ismail has also described Arab media as “stupid” saying “they are unable to differentiate between breaking news and national security”
He singled out the Qatar based TV station Al-Jazeera saying it “rushes” to conduct interviews with any Darfur figures “who own only seven or eight vehicles to call them rebel leaders”.
A number of Sudanese journalists and observers in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that Ismail’s ‘beggars’ depiction stirred anger among those who read it.
“It is extremely insulting to say something like that. He [Ismail] needs to apologize to the Sudanese people” one journalist said asking his name not be disclosed.
Bashir came to power twenty years ago in a bloodless coup that ousted the democratically elected government of prime minister al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi. The regime broke ranks with the Islamic movement led by Hassan Al-Turabi in 1999.
(ST)