KHARTOUM: Sudan declared an economic state of emergency on Thursday after its currency fell sharply in recent weeks due to "systematic vandalism," officials said.
The transitional government, in charge of the country since the ouster of Omar Al-Bashir last year, will set up special courts in the next days to fight smuggling and other illicit activities undermining the economy, officials told a televised news conference.
The pound had fluctuated drastically in recent days, prompting major food suppliers to halt distribution of their products and pushing prices of food up between 50% and 100% at supermarkets and retailers, a Reuters witness said.
It comes at a time of record Nile River flooding that has left tens of thousands of people homeless. The government said it had allocated more than 150 million Sudanese pounds ($2.73 million) to help flood victims, the state news agency reported.
The government under Bashir had previously tried to crack down on the black-market traders by arresting some of them, but others remained persistent. The currency has been devalued four times since 2018.
Inflation in Sudan is second only to that of Venezuela, with the headline rate climbing to 143.78% in July from 136.36% in June.
Security forces would also step up controls at borders and airports to stop a smuggling of commodities such as gold, officials said.
Sudan declares state of economic emergency due to fall of currency
https://arab.news/gtdw2
Sudan declares state of economic emergency due to fall of currency
- It comes at a time of record Nile River flooding that has left tens of thousands of people homeless
- The currency has been devalued four times since 2018
UN chief says those behind ‘unacceptable’ Homs attack must face justice
- France says the "terror" attack is designed to destabilize the country
UNITED NATIONS/PARIS: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the deadly attack on Friday prayers at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, and said the perpetrators should be brought to justice.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. He stresses that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The explosion killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Homs, with an Islamist militant group claiming responsibility.
France also condemned the attack, calling it an “act of terrorism” designed to destabilize the country.
The attack “is part of a deliberate strategy aimed at destabilizing Syria and the transition government,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
It condemned what it said was an attempt to “compromise ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability.”
The attack, during Friday prayers, was the second blast in a place of worship since Islamist authorities took power a year ago, after a suicide bombing in a Damascus church killed 25 people in June.
In a statement on Telegram, the extremist group Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna said its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” in the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in the central Syrian city.
