Civilian firms of Sudanese army to be under government control: Hamdok
March 17, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok announced that military companies operating in the civilian sector will be placed under the supervision of the transitional government.
On Wednesday, Hamdok visited the Military Industry Corporation (MIC) Wednesday accompanied by several ministers and the director-general of the corporation and inspected the Yarmouk Industrial Complex factories.
In a statement issued after the visit, the Minister of Information and Government Official Spokesperson Hamza Baloul said that the Prime Minister said that all armies in the world have military industries and stressed that their civilian production companies will be transformed into public joint-stock companies.
The Sudanese army has many companies operating in several fields including car assembling factories, electrical appliances, export of meat and agricultural crops, wheat mills, cargo transportation and road construction.
Baloul further said that the prime minister agreed with the MIC administration to form the Council of Finance and Investment headed by the Minister of Finance, and the Council of Industrial Priorities headed by the Minister of Industry.
This agreement aims to “manage and direct the MIC civilian activities and national projects towards developing the national economy in line with the priorities of the transitional government.”
For his part, the Minister of Finance Gibril Ibrahim stressed the need to observe transparency in the MIC’s civilian activities.
The management of the MIC activities during the former regime has been largely criticized for the lack of transparency, its failure to pay taxes.
The Sudanese army owns over 200 companies, many of which operate in vital economic sectors,
Sudan claims to be the third-largest weapons manufacturer in Africa.
The MIC most important plants are Yarmouk Industrial Complex, Al Shaggara Ammunition Plant, Elshaheed Ibrahim Shams el Deen Complex for Heavy Industries, Al Zarghaa Engineering Complex, Safat Aviation Complex, and Saria Industrial Complex.
(ST)