Economy another victim of war in impoverished Sudan

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A man steers his donkey-drawn carriage, the preferred mode of transport for people and goods, as fuel prices rise due to internal fighting, in Gedaref state in eastern Sudan on Feb. 20, 2024. (AFP)
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A man walks past sacks of grains at a market in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on Feb. 22, 2024. (AFP)
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A woman winnows grains at a market in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on Feb. 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 25 February 2024
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Economy another victim of war in impoverished Sudan

  • With most banks out of service, the only exchange rate that matters to ordinary Sudanese is on the black market, where the dollar currently goes for around 1,200 Sudanese pounds

PORT SUDAN, Sudan: Before the Sudanese army and paramilitary fighters turned their guns on each other last year, Ahmed used to sell one of Sudan’s main exports: gum arabic, a vital ingredient for global industry.
Now he’s out of business, and his story encapsulates the broader economic collapse of Sudan during 10 months of war.
Since combat between two rival generals began on April 15, Ahmed has been at the fighters’ mercy.
“When the war began, I had a stock of gum arabic in a warehouse south of Khartoum that was intended for export,” Ahmed told AFP, asking to use only his first name for fear of retaliation.
“To get it out I had to pay huge sums to the Rapid Support Forces,” the paramilitaries commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who are at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.
“I had to pay multiple times in areas under their control, before my cargo got to areas controlled by the government,” Ahmed said.
But the government — loyal to the army — “then demanded I pay taxes” on the product, an emulsifying agent used in everything from soft drinks to chewing gum.
When the trucks finally made it to Port Sudan for export on the Red Sea, “authorities again asked for new taxes, and I had to pay storage fees six times more than before the war,” Ahmed said.
His gum arabic — like many other Sudanese products — never made it onto a ship. According to Sudan’s port authorities, international trade fell 23 percent last year.
The finance ministry, which didn’t set a national budget for 2023 or 2024 and has foregone quarterly reports, recently raised the exchange rate for imports and exports from 650 Sudanese pounds to 950.
But that is still far below the currency’s real value.
With most banks out of service, the only exchange rate that matters to ordinary Sudanese is on the black market, where the dollar currently goes for around 1,200 Sudanese pounds.
“It’s a sign of the destruction of the Sudanese economy,” former Sudanese Chamber of Commerce head Al-Sadiq Jalal told AFP.
To make matters worse, a communications blackout since early February has hampered online transactions — which Sudanese relied on to survive.
The war has led industries to cease production. Others were destroyed. Businesses and food stocks have been looted.
The World Bank in September said “widespread destruction of Sudan’s economic foundations has set the country’s development back by several decades.”
The International Monetary Fund has predicted that even after the fighting ends, “years of reconstruction” await the northeast African country.
Sudan suffered under a crippled economy for decades and was already one of the world’s poorest countries before the war.
Under the Islamist-backed regime of strongman Omar Al-Bashir, international sanctions throttled development, corruption was rampant, and South Sudan split in 2011 with most of the country’s oil production.
Bashir’s ouster by the military in 2019 following mass protests led to a fragile transition to civilian rule accompanied by signs of economic renewal and international acceptance.
A 2021 coup by Burhan and Dagalo, before they turned on each other, began a new economic collapse when the World Bank and the United States suspended vital international aid.
More than six million of Sudan’s 48 million people have been internally displaced by the war, and more than half the population needs humanitarian aid to survive, according to the United Nations.
Thousands of people have been killed, including between 10,000 and 15,000 in a single city in the western Darfur region, according to UN experts.
Now the indirect death toll is also rising.
Aid agencies have long warned of impending famine, and the UN’s World Food Programme is “already receiving reports of people dying of starvation,” the agency’s Sudan director Eddie Rowe said in early February.
The Sudanese state “is completely absent from the scene” in all sectors, economist Haitham Fathy told AFP.
Chief among those is agriculture, which could have helped stave off hunger.
Before the war, agriculture generated 35-40 percent of Sudan’s gross domestic product, according to the World Bank, and employed 70-80 percent of the workforce in rural areas, the International Fund for Agricultural Development said.
But the war has left more than 60 percent of the nation’s agricultural land out of commission, according to Sudanese research organization Fikra for Studies and Development.
In the wheat-growing state of Al-Jazira, where RSF fighters took over swathes of farmland south of Khartoum, farmers have been unable to tend their crops. They saw their livelihoods wither away.
From the wheat fields to Ahmed’s gum arabic warehouse, the story is the same.
His savings spent, his stock gone and his future bleak, Ahmed — like much of Sudan’s business class — has closed up shop.


Syrians among victims in Swedish mass killing: Syrian embassy

Updated 06 February 2025
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Syrians among victims in Swedish mass killing: Syrian embassy

Stockholm: Syrians were among those killed in Sweden’s worst mass shooting that left 10 people dead at an adult education center, the Syrian embassy said.
The embassy expressed “its condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims, among them Syrians,” in a post on its Facebook page late on Wednesday.


Israeli defense minister tells army to set plans for Palestinians to leave Gaza

Updated 06 February 2025
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Israeli defense minister tells army to set plans for Palestinians to leave Gaza

  • Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said the plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air.”

Israel’s defense minister says he has instructed the army to prepare plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s proposal for the war-ravaged territory.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said the plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air.”
He said he welcomed Trump’s “bold plan, which could allow a large population in Gaza to leave for various places in the world.”
He did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza, which has been rendered largely uninhabitable by Israel’s 15-month military campaign against Hamas.
Trump on Wednesday proposed that most of Gaza’s population be “permanently” resettled elsewhere while the United States rebuilds the territory.
US officials later said the relocation would only be temporary, but Palestinians fear Israel would never allow them to return, deepening and perpetuating a refugee crisis dating back to the establishment of the state.
Trump’s plan was roundly rejected by the Palestinians and much of the international community. Rights groups said it would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law.


Tunisia president fires finance minister

Updated 06 February 2025
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Tunisia president fires finance minister

  • Tunisia has over the past two years suffered sporadic shortages of basic items such as milk, sugar and flour

TUNIS: Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has sacked his finance minister and appointed a magistrate to the role.
Michket Slama Khaldi will take on the country’s finance portfolio, the presidency announced on Facebook overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, alongside images of her taking the oath of office.
The presidency gave no further details, nor did it mention outgoing minister Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia.
The new finance minister had headed a national commission tasked with recovering embezzled public funds.
Tunisia has over the past two years suffered sporadic shortages of basic items such as milk, sugar and flour.
Recently, there has also been a scarcity of domestic gas cylinders, which are widely used for cooking and heating.


Two years after quake disaster, Turkiye’s painful recovery continues

Updated 06 February 2025
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Two years after quake disaster, Turkiye’s painful recovery continues

  • The disaster reduced entire towns to rubble, including homes, hospitals, and historical landmarks, with Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Adiyaman hardest hit.

ANKARA: Two years after the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in modern Turkish history, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, with many still living in temporary housing, as rebuilding efforts lag behind initial targets.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, and its aftershocks rattled 11 Turkish provinces and parts of northern Syria, killing more than 55,000 people and injuring more than 107,000.
The disaster reduced entire towns to rubble, including homes, hospitals, and historical landmarks, with Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Adiyaman hardest hit.
The government has pledged to build 650,000 homes, with President Tayyip Erdogan promising in the weeks after the tremor that 319,000 would be delivered within a year.
“We are fortunate to have delivered 201,431 independent units to their rightful owners less than two years after the earthquake,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said $75 billion had been spent on rebuilding across the quake region.
The critical phases of reconstruction have been completed, he said, adding that housing and business projects were progressing rapidly.
Many residents, however, remain in makeshift conditions, while others have left their home provinces entirely, disrupting communities and livelihoods.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP, said only 30 percent of the pledged reconstruction had been completed. The housing completion rate in Hatay, one of the worst-hit provinces, was only 18 percent, he said.
“Only three out of ten who believed in Erdogan now have homes, while the other seven are still in containers or seeking refuge in the homes of relatives,” Ozel said on Tuesday.
“How can they look into the eyes of those they forced to live in containers for two years and say, ‘We have kept all our promises, thank God’?“
Lingering hardships
International and local aid groups say a full recovery remains far off, with thousands of Turks still facing barriers to returning home.
The Hatay Earthquake Victims’ Association said in a report that more than 400,000 people remain in container-home cities, facing poor sanitation, inadequate health care, and an uncertain future.
It also raised concerns about asbestos exposure from unregulated demolitions and land seizures under emergency decrees.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that millions of people in Turkiye and Syria were still struggling to rebuild their lives. It called the pace of reconstruction “far too slow” for such a disaster.
Delays in reconstruction hurt long-term stability and risk depopulation of the region, some aid groups say.
In Hatay, in southernmost Turkiye, empty streets, shuttered businesses, and demolition work still define the city, which was once a bustling mixture of cultures and religions, and a draw for tourism.
Ankara says its response to the earthquake has been effective and on track.
Kurum, the government minister, said 423,000 homes and workplaces will be handed over to survivors by the end of 2025, adding that Turkiye had allocated 584 billion Turkish lira ($19 billion) for recovery efforts.


Iraq's famed 'hunchback' of Mosul rebuilt brick by brick

Updated 06 February 2025
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Iraq's famed 'hunchback' of Mosul rebuilt brick by brick

  • The mosque and minaret were destroyed in June 2017 during the battle to oust IS from Mosul
  • Minaret and mosque are the latest landmarks in Mosul to be restored by United Nations heritage body UNESCO

Mosul: The leaning minaret of Mosul in northern Iraq has been restored using its original brickwork, years after it was reduced to rubble under Daesh group rule.
The Al-Hadba or “hunchback” minaret is part of the historic Al-Nuri Mosque from where former IS chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in July 2014 declared his “caliphate” that committed atrocities across swathes of both Syria and Iraq.
The mosque and minaret were destroyed in June 2017 during the battle to oust Daesh from Mosul, and Iraq’s authorities accused the jihadists of planting explosives before their withdrawal.
The minaret and mosque are the latest landmarks in Mosul to be restored by United Nations heritage body UNESCO, whose teams have worked for five years to revive several sites there.
The Al-Hadba minaret of today is an exact replica of the old one, “built with the same bricks,” said Abdullah Mahmoud of the Iraqi department of antiquities.
“Al-Hadba is our identity, and by restoring it, the identity of the city has been reclaimed.”
The restored minaret’s tilt has been retained at 160 centimeters (63 inches), just as it was in the 1960s.
However, engineers have reinforced the foundations so it no longer leans quite so precariously, as it began to do gradually after being built in the 12th century.
“The minaret’s body from the inside needed 96,000 new bricks,” Mahmoud said.
“But for the exterior we used 26,000 old bricks” to preserve its historical legacy.
’Massive change’
Days before work was completed, hundreds of workers put the finishing touches to Al-Nuri’s columns, dome and yard.
Mahmoud said the mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Makkah, has been largely repaired using its original stones.
But the minbar, from where sermons are delivered, has lost most of its original pieces.
Across the street, Imad Zaki, a former muezzin at the mosque, said: “Every day I stand here for an hour to watch as they are restored to their original state.”
“Today one can feel the spirituality. It’s as if our souls have finally found peace,” added the 52-year-old, wearing a long traditional Iraqi abaya, or robe.
Eighty percent of Mosul’s old city was destroyed in the fight against IS, and more than 12,000 tons of rubble was removed for the UNESCO restoration project, which also included Al-Tahira and Our Lady of the Hour churches and 124 heritage houses.
The Al-Tahira Church, dating from 1862, has been rebuilt with its arcades, embellished pillars and stained-glass windows.
During restoration, workers discovered an underground cellar and large jars once used for wine. It now has a glass ceiling so visitors can look inside.
Maria Acetoso, senior project manager at UNESCO Iraq, said the project aimed “to work in parallel on meaningful monuments for the city and also to bring life back” to Mosul.
“When I arrived here in 2019 it looked like a ghost city,” Acetoso said. “In five years plus, there has been a massive change.”
In Mosul on Wednesday, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay hailed her team’s efforts and said on that the renovation had allowed “the identity of the city” to return.
Scars of battle
After IS was defeated, life returned to the city’s streets, where the chatter of patrons in small cafes blended with the clatter of construction work at the mosque.
In the coming weeks, Iraqi authorities will inaugurate the restored landmarks.
But Mosul still bears scars from the ferocious fight against IS.
Tucked away in narrow old city alleyways are ruined houses. Some bear the word “safe” scrawled in red on walls, signalling that they that have been cleared of explosives.
The crumbling walls and shattered windows tell tales of displacement. Their original owners, mostly Christian, have yet to return.
Mohammed Kassem, 59, came back to the old city a few years ago, to a new house as his former home was just debris.
Mosul still “needs a great deal” of work before it is back to normal, he said.
“It needs its former residents... the Christians to come back. This is their place,” Kassem added.
Across the street from Al-Nuri Mosque, Saad Mohammed, 65, said he hoped the restoration efforts will attract visitors to Mosul, although he still feels sad because of what it has lost.
But he couldn’t help but smile when he looked up at the minaret from his little shop.
“We opened the window once and saw the black IS flag on top of the minaret. Then we opened it again and the minaret was gone,” said Mohammed, who never left Mosul, even at the height of the fighting.
“Today the minaret has risen again, alongside the mosque and the churches. Now we feel safe,” he said.