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SUDAN PERSPECTIVE
The Embassy of the Republic of The Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by Media Office
January 2016
SUDAN PERSPECTIVE
Contents
Independence of the Republic of Sudan 1956
Page 1
HE The Ambassador meets the All Party
Parliamentary
Group for Sudan and South Sudan
Page 2
The Sudan no longer subject to FATFrsquos Monitoring
Process
Page 3
HE speaks on Sudan Investment Prospects
Page 4
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic
Planning with Business Owners
Page 4
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy
staff Page 5
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year 2016
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC on
Investment prospects in Sudan
Page 6
The National Dialogue
Page 7
South Sudan Watch
Page 8
Barnaba Maryal Visit to Sudan
Page 8
Significant Change of Name
Page 8
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
Page 9
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Page 10
The Embassy welcomeshellip Mr Eltom has been in the Foreign Service for nearly 28 years
He served in various regions in the world where he held posi-
tions in Sudan Embassies in the Middle East in Amman-Jordan
Damascus-Syria and Abu-Dhabi-UAE He then served in Su-
danrsquos Embassy in Washington DC where he was selected by
the Foreign Ministry to be within the diplomatic staff that re-
inaugurated the Embassy after a period of closure
Having served in London before as a Deputy Ambassador pro-
vided Mr Eltom with deep insights about different aspects of life
in the UK
Prior to being appointed as Sudanrsquos Ambassador to the United
Kingdom Mr Eltom assumed the role of Head of American Af-
fairs Department at the Foreign Ministry in Sudan
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Welcomes the Sudanese Ambassador
SUDAN PERSPECTIVE
60th Anniversary Independence of the
Republic Of The Sudan
Press Release
On New Yearrsquos Day 1956 the Repub-lic of the Sudan was born It stood on the foundations of many African kingdoms in Nubia Darfur Kordofan Blue Sultanate and South Sudan The declaration of independence came about peacefully when the first elected parliament of 1953 voted unanimously for complete independ-ence from the Anglo-Egyptian coloni-al administration Sixty years on the Sudan maintains good relations with Britain (which has no sanctions on the Sudan) and Egypt as well as the Republic of South Sudan which was inaugurated on 9th July 2011 as a result of an overwhelming vote for secession by the people of South Sudan This yearrsquos celebrations coincided with a very significant milestone the Inclusive National Dialogue which started on 10th October last year to-gether with a ceasefire in order to help reach a consensus on the most intractable national issues on the ta-ble Many armed rebel groups were hesitant but have now joined the IND - the latest is the New Justice and Equality Movement (NJEM) Another positive development was the successful sessions of informal talks in Addis Ababa with the SPLM-N which is fighting the government in the Blue Nile area and South Kordo-fan The talks will be resumed with a hope to reach an agreement that will allow the SPLM to join the Inclusive National Dialogue
All this shows an all round po-litical will to consolidate peace and stability The government has already pledged to imple-ment the recommendations of the Inclusive National Dia-logue Many foreign dignitaries have attended this yearrsquos Independ-ence celebrations The Suda-nese Foreign Minister Profes-sor Ibrahim Ghandour wel-comed his counterpart the South Sudanese Foreign Min-ister Dr Barnaba Marial Benja-min (who arrived as a repre-sentative of HE President Sil-va Kiir Myardit) The visit was an opportunity to address many issues including implementation of the 2012 Cooperation Agreement com-mercial exchanges oil and fu-ture relations It was declared that South Su-danese pupils in the Sudan will be exempted from foreign studentsrsquo regulations and treat-ed like Sudanese pupils The Sudan has celebrated the 60th anniversary of independ-ence in an atmosphere of con-fidence because it is a relative oasis of stability and peace in the region welcoming hun-dreds of thousands of dis-placed and refugees It is a country which looks forward to the future with pride dignity and optimism Sudan Embassy Media Office 7th January 2016
Hoisting of the Sudan stIndependence flag on January 1
1956 Sayed Ismail EL Azhari Prime
Minister of the Sudan And Sayed
Ahmed Mahjoub Leader of the
opposition
Page 1
An important meeting was held at House of Commons between members of the APP Group for the Sudan and South Sudan and the Sudanese Am-bassador HE Mohamed Abdallah Ali Eltom at the request of the Ambassa-dor It was chaired by the RH Mark Dorkin (chair of the group) and was attended by The Earl of Sandwich Lord AltonBaroness KinnockLord Chidgey and staff member Peter Ever-ington The chair explained the aims of the Group and the belief in engagement with both the Sudanese Government and the Diaspora Sudanese about hu-man rights humanitarian access and the general welfare of the Sudanese people The members have concerns and would like to hear the Ambassa-dors response HE the Ambassador thanked the chair and the members and said that he un-derstood their concerns then went on to respond to their opinions He began with the governments complete com-mitment to peace because fighting has destroyed facilities and affected both the economy and the safety of civilians Only peace will enable the government to deliver services
The National Dialogue was launched last October and is still in progress coupled with a ceasefire Many of those who had doubts have now joined and the presiden-cy has promised implementation of all recommendations On Humanitarian access he explained that the Government has accepted the UN plan but the SPLM-N has not The government is not to blame On Darfur he said that the Doha Documents for Peace in Darfur is not a Sudanese docu-ment It was put together by the media-tors and accepted by the Govern-mentJEM did not reject it but came up with a most unusual condition namely that no other rebel group be allowed to sign Now some voices call for renegotia-tion of the Document On alleged target-ing of South Kordofan civilians by the air force he said that in fighting collateral damage sometimes happens all over the world There is no evidence that the gov-ernment has intentionally attacked civil-ians With modern technology proof of that would have been possible In the end the Chair and HE the Ambas-sador exchanged compliments The meeting was also attended by the Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Osman Akasha and Dr Khalid AlMubarak
Sudan Embassy Media Office
HE The Ambassador meets the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan
Page 2
IMAGE
The Sudan no longer subject to FATF rsquo s
Monitoring Process
the FATF commended
Sudan for improving its
Anti-Money Laundry
(AML) and Combating
the Financing of
Terrorism (CFT) system
Sudan is no longer subject to going global compliance -the on
monitoring process by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
rdthe FATF announced on 23O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 t h e F A T F c o m m e n d e d S u d a n f o r im p r o v i ng i t s An t i -Mo n e y Laundry (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terror ism (CFT) system indicating that Sudan has established the legal and regu la to ry f ramework r e q u i r e d t o m e e t i t s commitments under its own action plan so as to tackle the s t ra teg ic weak nesses the country has according to the mutual evaluation with FATF
The FATF further announced that Sudan will continue to work with the MENAFATF (the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force) to address the remaining challenges faced by Sudan i n t h i s r ega r d T h i s construct ive progress would represent a leverage for Sudan in its endeavours to have the unjust unilateral US sanctions lifted The Financial Action Task Force is an inter-governmental body that was established back in 1989 with the objectives of standard setting and promot ing the objec t ives o f formulating laws regulations and operational procedures to guard against money laundry and to
combat the f inancing o f terrorism and other threats t o t he ope r a t i on o f t he i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l apparatus It is noteworthy that the US E m b a s s y i n K h a r t o u m welcomed the removal of
s list rsquoSudan from the FATFin a statement issued on
2 0 1 5 t hO c t o b e r 2 9
The FATFs decision making body the FATF Plenary
Page 3
HE speaks on Sudan Investment
Prospects
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning with
Business Owners
HE shed the light on
the mass resources
enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors
On November 5th 2014 HE Mr Moham-
med Eltom Ambassador of Sudan to e
UK spoke at the Middle East Associa-
tion rsquo s HQ on Sudan rsquo s investment op-
portunities and prospects where he de-
livered a presentation for 31 British busi-
ness and trade enterprises In his
presentation HE shed the light on the
mass resources enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors HE also elaborated on
the facilitation and easiness of doing
business guaranteed to foreign investors
according to the current Investment Law
in Sudan including the flexibility of com-
panies and businessesrsquo registration
and carrying all administrative proce-
dures by foreign investors in Sudan
through a single-window system
The Ambassador indicated invest-
ment capacities in Sudan in different
sectors including oil minerals agri-
culture education medical field
tourism and so on HE further enu-
merated the geographical and natu-
ral elements that make Sudan an
attractive destination for investment
for foreign investors The event wit-
nessed a considerable interaction by
the audience that reflected their in-
terest in being aware of the invest-
ment atmosphere in Sudan
HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
On October 8th 2015 the Embassy organized
and hosted a meeting for HE State Minister
for Finance and National Economy of Su-
dan Mr Majdy Yaseen during his visit to
London with the executive committee of the
British Sudanese Business Association
( B SBA ) which represents a wide umbrella
for a number of British business owners and
entrepreneurs of Sudanese origin and plays
an important role in assisting those establish
and find their way through the markets in the
UK The Minister elaborated on the Suda-
nese Government rsquo s ongoing efforts to
ease and lift the US economic sanctions
and embargo against Sudan and to im-
prove the current investment environ-
ment in the country
The meeting which was attended by HE
the Ambassador of Sudan Mr Moham-
med Eltom and a number of the Embas-
sy rsquo s staff witnessed a fruitful discus-
sion on the role of the private sector and
business owners associations such as
the BSBA in improving economies and
bridging any existing gaps with govern-
ments
Page 4
Image of HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
60th Anniversary Independence of the
Republic Of The Sudan
Press Release
On New Yearrsquos Day 1956 the Repub-lic of the Sudan was born It stood on the foundations of many African kingdoms in Nubia Darfur Kordofan Blue Sultanate and South Sudan The declaration of independence came about peacefully when the first elected parliament of 1953 voted unanimously for complete independ-ence from the Anglo-Egyptian coloni-al administration Sixty years on the Sudan maintains good relations with Britain (which has no sanctions on the Sudan) and Egypt as well as the Republic of South Sudan which was inaugurated on 9th July 2011 as a result of an overwhelming vote for secession by the people of South Sudan This yearrsquos celebrations coincided with a very significant milestone the Inclusive National Dialogue which started on 10th October last year to-gether with a ceasefire in order to help reach a consensus on the most intractable national issues on the ta-ble Many armed rebel groups were hesitant but have now joined the IND - the latest is the New Justice and Equality Movement (NJEM) Another positive development was the successful sessions of informal talks in Addis Ababa with the SPLM-N which is fighting the government in the Blue Nile area and South Kordo-fan The talks will be resumed with a hope to reach an agreement that will allow the SPLM to join the Inclusive National Dialogue
All this shows an all round po-litical will to consolidate peace and stability The government has already pledged to imple-ment the recommendations of the Inclusive National Dia-logue Many foreign dignitaries have attended this yearrsquos Independ-ence celebrations The Suda-nese Foreign Minister Profes-sor Ibrahim Ghandour wel-comed his counterpart the South Sudanese Foreign Min-ister Dr Barnaba Marial Benja-min (who arrived as a repre-sentative of HE President Sil-va Kiir Myardit) The visit was an opportunity to address many issues including implementation of the 2012 Cooperation Agreement com-mercial exchanges oil and fu-ture relations It was declared that South Su-danese pupils in the Sudan will be exempted from foreign studentsrsquo regulations and treat-ed like Sudanese pupils The Sudan has celebrated the 60th anniversary of independ-ence in an atmosphere of con-fidence because it is a relative oasis of stability and peace in the region welcoming hun-dreds of thousands of dis-placed and refugees It is a country which looks forward to the future with pride dignity and optimism Sudan Embassy Media Office 7th January 2016
Hoisting of the Sudan stIndependence flag on January 1
1956 Sayed Ismail EL Azhari Prime
Minister of the Sudan And Sayed
Ahmed Mahjoub Leader of the
opposition
Page 1
An important meeting was held at House of Commons between members of the APP Group for the Sudan and South Sudan and the Sudanese Am-bassador HE Mohamed Abdallah Ali Eltom at the request of the Ambassa-dor It was chaired by the RH Mark Dorkin (chair of the group) and was attended by The Earl of Sandwich Lord AltonBaroness KinnockLord Chidgey and staff member Peter Ever-ington The chair explained the aims of the Group and the belief in engagement with both the Sudanese Government and the Diaspora Sudanese about hu-man rights humanitarian access and the general welfare of the Sudanese people The members have concerns and would like to hear the Ambassa-dors response HE the Ambassador thanked the chair and the members and said that he un-derstood their concerns then went on to respond to their opinions He began with the governments complete com-mitment to peace because fighting has destroyed facilities and affected both the economy and the safety of civilians Only peace will enable the government to deliver services
The National Dialogue was launched last October and is still in progress coupled with a ceasefire Many of those who had doubts have now joined and the presiden-cy has promised implementation of all recommendations On Humanitarian access he explained that the Government has accepted the UN plan but the SPLM-N has not The government is not to blame On Darfur he said that the Doha Documents for Peace in Darfur is not a Sudanese docu-ment It was put together by the media-tors and accepted by the Govern-mentJEM did not reject it but came up with a most unusual condition namely that no other rebel group be allowed to sign Now some voices call for renegotia-tion of the Document On alleged target-ing of South Kordofan civilians by the air force he said that in fighting collateral damage sometimes happens all over the world There is no evidence that the gov-ernment has intentionally attacked civil-ians With modern technology proof of that would have been possible In the end the Chair and HE the Ambas-sador exchanged compliments The meeting was also attended by the Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Osman Akasha and Dr Khalid AlMubarak
Sudan Embassy Media Office
HE The Ambassador meets the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan
Page 2
IMAGE
The Sudan no longer subject to FATF rsquo s
Monitoring Process
the FATF commended
Sudan for improving its
Anti-Money Laundry
(AML) and Combating
the Financing of
Terrorism (CFT) system
Sudan is no longer subject to going global compliance -the on
monitoring process by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
rdthe FATF announced on 23O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 t h e F A T F c o m m e n d e d S u d a n f o r im p r o v i ng i t s An t i -Mo n e y Laundry (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terror ism (CFT) system indicating that Sudan has established the legal and regu la to ry f ramework r e q u i r e d t o m e e t i t s commitments under its own action plan so as to tackle the s t ra teg ic weak nesses the country has according to the mutual evaluation with FATF
The FATF further announced that Sudan will continue to work with the MENAFATF (the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force) to address the remaining challenges faced by Sudan i n t h i s r ega r d T h i s construct ive progress would represent a leverage for Sudan in its endeavours to have the unjust unilateral US sanctions lifted The Financial Action Task Force is an inter-governmental body that was established back in 1989 with the objectives of standard setting and promot ing the objec t ives o f formulating laws regulations and operational procedures to guard against money laundry and to
combat the f inancing o f terrorism and other threats t o t he ope r a t i on o f t he i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l apparatus It is noteworthy that the US E m b a s s y i n K h a r t o u m welcomed the removal of
s list rsquoSudan from the FATFin a statement issued on
2 0 1 5 t hO c t o b e r 2 9
The FATFs decision making body the FATF Plenary
Page 3
HE speaks on Sudan Investment
Prospects
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning with
Business Owners
HE shed the light on
the mass resources
enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors
On November 5th 2014 HE Mr Moham-
med Eltom Ambassador of Sudan to e
UK spoke at the Middle East Associa-
tion rsquo s HQ on Sudan rsquo s investment op-
portunities and prospects where he de-
livered a presentation for 31 British busi-
ness and trade enterprises In his
presentation HE shed the light on the
mass resources enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors HE also elaborated on
the facilitation and easiness of doing
business guaranteed to foreign investors
according to the current Investment Law
in Sudan including the flexibility of com-
panies and businessesrsquo registration
and carrying all administrative proce-
dures by foreign investors in Sudan
through a single-window system
The Ambassador indicated invest-
ment capacities in Sudan in different
sectors including oil minerals agri-
culture education medical field
tourism and so on HE further enu-
merated the geographical and natu-
ral elements that make Sudan an
attractive destination for investment
for foreign investors The event wit-
nessed a considerable interaction by
the audience that reflected their in-
terest in being aware of the invest-
ment atmosphere in Sudan
HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
On October 8th 2015 the Embassy organized
and hosted a meeting for HE State Minister
for Finance and National Economy of Su-
dan Mr Majdy Yaseen during his visit to
London with the executive committee of the
British Sudanese Business Association
( B SBA ) which represents a wide umbrella
for a number of British business owners and
entrepreneurs of Sudanese origin and plays
an important role in assisting those establish
and find their way through the markets in the
UK The Minister elaborated on the Suda-
nese Government rsquo s ongoing efforts to
ease and lift the US economic sanctions
and embargo against Sudan and to im-
prove the current investment environ-
ment in the country
The meeting which was attended by HE
the Ambassador of Sudan Mr Moham-
med Eltom and a number of the Embas-
sy rsquo s staff witnessed a fruitful discus-
sion on the role of the private sector and
business owners associations such as
the BSBA in improving economies and
bridging any existing gaps with govern-
ments
Page 4
Image of HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
An important meeting was held at House of Commons between members of the APP Group for the Sudan and South Sudan and the Sudanese Am-bassador HE Mohamed Abdallah Ali Eltom at the request of the Ambassa-dor It was chaired by the RH Mark Dorkin (chair of the group) and was attended by The Earl of Sandwich Lord AltonBaroness KinnockLord Chidgey and staff member Peter Ever-ington The chair explained the aims of the Group and the belief in engagement with both the Sudanese Government and the Diaspora Sudanese about hu-man rights humanitarian access and the general welfare of the Sudanese people The members have concerns and would like to hear the Ambassa-dors response HE the Ambassador thanked the chair and the members and said that he un-derstood their concerns then went on to respond to their opinions He began with the governments complete com-mitment to peace because fighting has destroyed facilities and affected both the economy and the safety of civilians Only peace will enable the government to deliver services
The National Dialogue was launched last October and is still in progress coupled with a ceasefire Many of those who had doubts have now joined and the presiden-cy has promised implementation of all recommendations On Humanitarian access he explained that the Government has accepted the UN plan but the SPLM-N has not The government is not to blame On Darfur he said that the Doha Documents for Peace in Darfur is not a Sudanese docu-ment It was put together by the media-tors and accepted by the Govern-mentJEM did not reject it but came up with a most unusual condition namely that no other rebel group be allowed to sign Now some voices call for renegotia-tion of the Document On alleged target-ing of South Kordofan civilians by the air force he said that in fighting collateral damage sometimes happens all over the world There is no evidence that the gov-ernment has intentionally attacked civil-ians With modern technology proof of that would have been possible In the end the Chair and HE the Ambas-sador exchanged compliments The meeting was also attended by the Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Osman Akasha and Dr Khalid AlMubarak
Sudan Embassy Media Office
HE The Ambassador meets the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan
Page 2
IMAGE
The Sudan no longer subject to FATF rsquo s
Monitoring Process
the FATF commended
Sudan for improving its
Anti-Money Laundry
(AML) and Combating
the Financing of
Terrorism (CFT) system
Sudan is no longer subject to going global compliance -the on
monitoring process by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
rdthe FATF announced on 23O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 t h e F A T F c o m m e n d e d S u d a n f o r im p r o v i ng i t s An t i -Mo n e y Laundry (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terror ism (CFT) system indicating that Sudan has established the legal and regu la to ry f ramework r e q u i r e d t o m e e t i t s commitments under its own action plan so as to tackle the s t ra teg ic weak nesses the country has according to the mutual evaluation with FATF
The FATF further announced that Sudan will continue to work with the MENAFATF (the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force) to address the remaining challenges faced by Sudan i n t h i s r ega r d T h i s construct ive progress would represent a leverage for Sudan in its endeavours to have the unjust unilateral US sanctions lifted The Financial Action Task Force is an inter-governmental body that was established back in 1989 with the objectives of standard setting and promot ing the objec t ives o f formulating laws regulations and operational procedures to guard against money laundry and to
combat the f inancing o f terrorism and other threats t o t he ope r a t i on o f t he i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l apparatus It is noteworthy that the US E m b a s s y i n K h a r t o u m welcomed the removal of
s list rsquoSudan from the FATFin a statement issued on
2 0 1 5 t hO c t o b e r 2 9
The FATFs decision making body the FATF Plenary
Page 3
HE speaks on Sudan Investment
Prospects
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning with
Business Owners
HE shed the light on
the mass resources
enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors
On November 5th 2014 HE Mr Moham-
med Eltom Ambassador of Sudan to e
UK spoke at the Middle East Associa-
tion rsquo s HQ on Sudan rsquo s investment op-
portunities and prospects where he de-
livered a presentation for 31 British busi-
ness and trade enterprises In his
presentation HE shed the light on the
mass resources enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors HE also elaborated on
the facilitation and easiness of doing
business guaranteed to foreign investors
according to the current Investment Law
in Sudan including the flexibility of com-
panies and businessesrsquo registration
and carrying all administrative proce-
dures by foreign investors in Sudan
through a single-window system
The Ambassador indicated invest-
ment capacities in Sudan in different
sectors including oil minerals agri-
culture education medical field
tourism and so on HE further enu-
merated the geographical and natu-
ral elements that make Sudan an
attractive destination for investment
for foreign investors The event wit-
nessed a considerable interaction by
the audience that reflected their in-
terest in being aware of the invest-
ment atmosphere in Sudan
HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
On October 8th 2015 the Embassy organized
and hosted a meeting for HE State Minister
for Finance and National Economy of Su-
dan Mr Majdy Yaseen during his visit to
London with the executive committee of the
British Sudanese Business Association
( B SBA ) which represents a wide umbrella
for a number of British business owners and
entrepreneurs of Sudanese origin and plays
an important role in assisting those establish
and find their way through the markets in the
UK The Minister elaborated on the Suda-
nese Government rsquo s ongoing efforts to
ease and lift the US economic sanctions
and embargo against Sudan and to im-
prove the current investment environ-
ment in the country
The meeting which was attended by HE
the Ambassador of Sudan Mr Moham-
med Eltom and a number of the Embas-
sy rsquo s staff witnessed a fruitful discus-
sion on the role of the private sector and
business owners associations such as
the BSBA in improving economies and
bridging any existing gaps with govern-
ments
Page 4
Image of HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
The Sudan no longer subject to FATF rsquo s
Monitoring Process
the FATF commended
Sudan for improving its
Anti-Money Laundry
(AML) and Combating
the Financing of
Terrorism (CFT) system
Sudan is no longer subject to going global compliance -the on
monitoring process by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
rdthe FATF announced on 23O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 t h e F A T F c o m m e n d e d S u d a n f o r im p r o v i ng i t s An t i -Mo n e y Laundry (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terror ism (CFT) system indicating that Sudan has established the legal and regu la to ry f ramework r e q u i r e d t o m e e t i t s commitments under its own action plan so as to tackle the s t ra teg ic weak nesses the country has according to the mutual evaluation with FATF
The FATF further announced that Sudan will continue to work with the MENAFATF (the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force) to address the remaining challenges faced by Sudan i n t h i s r ega r d T h i s construct ive progress would represent a leverage for Sudan in its endeavours to have the unjust unilateral US sanctions lifted The Financial Action Task Force is an inter-governmental body that was established back in 1989 with the objectives of standard setting and promot ing the objec t ives o f formulating laws regulations and operational procedures to guard against money laundry and to
combat the f inancing o f terrorism and other threats t o t he ope r a t i on o f t he i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l apparatus It is noteworthy that the US E m b a s s y i n K h a r t o u m welcomed the removal of
s list rsquoSudan from the FATFin a statement issued on
2 0 1 5 t hO c t o b e r 2 9
The FATFs decision making body the FATF Plenary
Page 3
HE speaks on Sudan Investment
Prospects
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning with
Business Owners
HE shed the light on
the mass resources
enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors
On November 5th 2014 HE Mr Moham-
med Eltom Ambassador of Sudan to e
UK spoke at the Middle East Associa-
tion rsquo s HQ on Sudan rsquo s investment op-
portunities and prospects where he de-
livered a presentation for 31 British busi-
ness and trade enterprises In his
presentation HE shed the light on the
mass resources enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors HE also elaborated on
the facilitation and easiness of doing
business guaranteed to foreign investors
according to the current Investment Law
in Sudan including the flexibility of com-
panies and businessesrsquo registration
and carrying all administrative proce-
dures by foreign investors in Sudan
through a single-window system
The Ambassador indicated invest-
ment capacities in Sudan in different
sectors including oil minerals agri-
culture education medical field
tourism and so on HE further enu-
merated the geographical and natu-
ral elements that make Sudan an
attractive destination for investment
for foreign investors The event wit-
nessed a considerable interaction by
the audience that reflected their in-
terest in being aware of the invest-
ment atmosphere in Sudan
HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
On October 8th 2015 the Embassy organized
and hosted a meeting for HE State Minister
for Finance and National Economy of Su-
dan Mr Majdy Yaseen during his visit to
London with the executive committee of the
British Sudanese Business Association
( B SBA ) which represents a wide umbrella
for a number of British business owners and
entrepreneurs of Sudanese origin and plays
an important role in assisting those establish
and find their way through the markets in the
UK The Minister elaborated on the Suda-
nese Government rsquo s ongoing efforts to
ease and lift the US economic sanctions
and embargo against Sudan and to im-
prove the current investment environ-
ment in the country
The meeting which was attended by HE
the Ambassador of Sudan Mr Moham-
med Eltom and a number of the Embas-
sy rsquo s staff witnessed a fruitful discus-
sion on the role of the private sector and
business owners associations such as
the BSBA in improving economies and
bridging any existing gaps with govern-
ments
Page 4
Image of HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
HE speaks on Sudan Investment
Prospects
Meeting of State Minister of Finance and Economic Planning with
Business Owners
HE shed the light on
the mass resources
enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors
On November 5th 2014 HE Mr Moham-
med Eltom Ambassador of Sudan to e
UK spoke at the Middle East Associa-
tion rsquo s HQ on Sudan rsquo s investment op-
portunities and prospects where he de-
livered a presentation for 31 British busi-
ness and trade enterprises In his
presentation HE shed the light on the
mass resources enjoyed by Sudan in
various sectors HE also elaborated on
the facilitation and easiness of doing
business guaranteed to foreign investors
according to the current Investment Law
in Sudan including the flexibility of com-
panies and businessesrsquo registration
and carrying all administrative proce-
dures by foreign investors in Sudan
through a single-window system
The Ambassador indicated invest-
ment capacities in Sudan in different
sectors including oil minerals agri-
culture education medical field
tourism and so on HE further enu-
merated the geographical and natu-
ral elements that make Sudan an
attractive destination for investment
for foreign investors The event wit-
nessed a considerable interaction by
the audience that reflected their in-
terest in being aware of the invest-
ment atmosphere in Sudan
HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
On October 8th 2015 the Embassy organized
and hosted a meeting for HE State Minister
for Finance and National Economy of Su-
dan Mr Majdy Yaseen during his visit to
London with the executive committee of the
British Sudanese Business Association
( B SBA ) which represents a wide umbrella
for a number of British business owners and
entrepreneurs of Sudanese origin and plays
an important role in assisting those establish
and find their way through the markets in the
UK The Minister elaborated on the Suda-
nese Government rsquo s ongoing efforts to
ease and lift the US economic sanctions
and embargo against Sudan and to im-
prove the current investment environ-
ment in the country
The meeting which was attended by HE
the Ambassador of Sudan Mr Moham-
med Eltom and a number of the Embas-
sy rsquo s staff witnessed a fruitful discus-
sion on the role of the private sector and
business owners associations such as
the BSBA in improving economies and
bridging any existing gaps with govern-
ments
Page 4
Image of HE Mr Mohammed Eltom
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
Meeting of HE State Minister for Investment with
Embassy staff
The Minister showed
flexibility and interest to
receive and listen to new
suggestions
After a number of meetings and
discussions the Embassy for-
mulated its work plan for the
year 2016 which would focus
on a number of files handled by
the Embassy including political
and parliamentary affairs eco-
nomic cultural consular me-
dia and administrative affairs
The Embassy sets its work plan for the year
2016
The plan was set upon com-
monly used standards for plan-
ning and plansrsquo formulation
where it was meant to be
SMART plan Specific Measur-
able Achievable Results-based
and Time-bound
On Thursday 3rd of December 2015 HE State Minister for Invest-ment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Ambassador Eltom held a meeting with the Embassy staff where they discussed the current investment at-mosphere in Sudan and the efforts envisioned by the Government to improve it The discussion held during the meeting included a number of sug-gestions and points transparently raised by the attendees regarding the steps needed to improve invest-ment in Sudan and the Minister showed flexibility and interest to re-ceive and listen to new suggestions that would lead to further and con-tinuous improvements in this regard
State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal
Page 5
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
State Minister for Investment speaks at ABCC
on investment prospects in Sudan
The presentation
generated an
interesting discussion
and drew the
audiencersquos attention
On Thursday 3rd December 2015 the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in partnership and coordination with the Embassy hosted a round-table discussion in honour of the State Minister of Investment of Sudan Mr Osama Faisal with a num-ber of British and European CEOs entrepreneurs and business representatives of various sectors
The Minister visited Lon-don to participate in the Global African Investment Summit that took place during the 1st and 2nd of December with the partici-pation of six African presi-dents
and Gas) Food Security (Agricultural products and Gum Arabic) Livestock and Poultry Services (Banking and financial services) be-sides other fields The presentation generated an interesting discussion and drew the audiencersquos attention to the huge poten-tial and investment opportu-
nities that Sudan enjoys
State Minister of Investment Mr Osama Faisal and HE Mr Mohammed Eltom during the roundtable discussion
Page 6
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
The Comprehensive National Dia-
logue an initiative of President
Bashir started on 10 October 2015
after months of preparations All po-
litical parties were invited including
those carrying arms and those want-
ed by the police Amnesty was
promised Many opposition prison-
ers were set freehellipA ceasefire was
declared and later extended Tens
of civil society representatives were
invited Foreign observers were free
to see for themselves the way delib-
erations were conducted As a result
of the transparent preparations the
international community welcomed
the IN Dialogue Diplomats and par-
liamentarians visited the Friendship
Hall where delegates discussed the
Economy Foreign Relations Identi-
ty Human Rights and Media and
Democratization
They spoke in different voices but
with goodwill and a genuine desire
to listen and consider other points of
view The President made it clear
that the recommendations will be
implemented Admittedly some who
lack support among the people and
know that in a democratic setting
they are not likely to attract votes
insisted on refusing to participate
The only Major party to refuse
participation is the National
Umma Party led By Imam
Sadiq Al Mahdi but the NUP
is split into four factions one
of which is actively involved in
the CN Dialogue
Gradually a number of armed
rebels who were initially suspi-
cious of dialogue began to
realise the necessity of partici-
pation They sent emissaries
to see how they would be
treated then sent leadershellip
The latest to join is the New
Justice and Equality Move-
ment ( NJEM ) a very influ-
ential faction of JEM The door
is still open for others to join
even at this late stage
The background to the IN Dia-
logue is important In 1965
The Round Table Conference
was convened in Khartoum
Opposition leaders arrived
from abroad or surfaced
from hiding That eventually
led to the Addis Ababa Agree-
ment of 1972 that ensured
peace until 1983Another fac-
tor is worth mentioning
The situation on the ground has
changed for the rebels Darfur is now
in the reconstruction phase The
SPLM-N has lost credibility in the af-
termath of its record in governing
South Sudan On the other hand the
government has never advocated a
military solution It is well known that
even five or six armed and politically-
motivated rebels can disrupt civilian
life in remote provinces Peace is a
priority for the government That is
why the CN Dialogue was initiated
and that is why it is gathering momen-
tum and heading towards success
A photo of the Sudanese Comprehensive National Dialogue
An Initiative of President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir for
unity and peace between all
political parties
The National Dialogue Page 7
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
South Sudan Watch
We are South
Sudanese not
Sudanese
South Sudan Foreign Minister
Significant Change of Name
The Sudan was involved in the Afri-
can Unions efforts to help end the
tragic fighting that flared up in South
Sudan in December 2013 and
caused horrendous suffering to the
civilians It decimated the economy
and resulted in displacement and
suffering Thankfully the African
Union ( IGAD ) efforts have suc-
ceeded and an agreement was
signed between the warring factions
in August last year
Despite some expected set-
backs implementation pro-
ceeded and a government
has now been put together as a
last step in political reconcilia-
tionThis is good news for the
Sudan too because we share a
very long border with South
Sudan and millions of our citi-
zens live along the borders
Trade with South Sudan is im-
portant for us
The decrease in the flow of oil
from South Sudanese wells is felt
by us too Displacement of South
Sudanese citizens puts pressure
on our meagre facilities
In this context the visit by the South
Sudan Foreign Minister HE Bar-
naba Maryal Benjamin as repre-
sentative of HE Salva Kiir Myardit
President of the Republic of South
Sudan was not a mere formality to
congratulate on the 60th anniver-
sary of Sudans independence
The top diplomat discussed with
his Sudanese Counterpart Pro-
fessor Ibrahim Ghandour steps
to implement the 2012 Coopera-
tion Agreement He reminded
the media that the two countries
have to live as friendly neigh-
bours
because neither can move or
relocate
The next generations should
live in peace and stability
Very wise words that were
shared by his host
The SPLM ( DC ) led by Dr Lam
Akol has decided to drop the acro-
nym SPLM from its name The rea-
son ( as reported by Sudan Trib-
une ) is very appropriate The S in
SPLM refers to Sudan whereas the
party is now in South Sudan not
SudanWe are South Sudanese
not Sudanese
This underlines the error of
many Western reporters who
refer to the SPLA as the South
Sudan National Army It is the
army of a political party be-
cause the S in the acronym
refers to the Sudan not South
Sudan
Keeping the name is a state-
ment of intent that provides the
ideological justification for proxy
war ( support for SPLM-N)
The change of name is a far-
sighted move that should be
welcomed
Page 8
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
Mo Ibrahim Index Time for a Rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is a source of pride for us in the Sudan He is a role model for young people in all developing countries not only be-cause his governance prize is worth more than the Nobel Prize but be-cause of the way he earned his bil-lions He is not an Oligarch who ben-efited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money He had an inventive idea which was not accept-ed by his employers so he resigned and applied it himself in an exercise of self confidence and probity Mo Ibrahim is also significant be-cause he is living proof that in a lev-el playing field young people from the Global South will excel and can overtake their European or American counterparts He is also important for the socially committed way in which he is spending his billions Many acts of generosity by him are unan-nounced and not known He is not an Oligarch who benefited from dubious privatisation Nor was he involved in the many illicit ways of making money Having said all that we turn to the Mo Ibrahim Index (which again has given the Sudan a low mark) and find ourselves in uncharted territory Respect for Dr Ibrahim should not stop us from raising some argu-ments that call for a return to the drawing board The concept of Afri-can Governance needs qualification Africa is not an island it is part of a whole global system and cannot be fairly assessed in isolation from the larger context
Khalid AlMubarak Published in Sudan Vision on 11012016
Page 9
The Global Policy Forum for Example has estimated that Afri-ca loses $192 Billion each year as a result of profits made by foreign companies tax dodging and the cost of adapting to cli-mate change The Trade Justice Movement argues that trade lib-eralization (forced on African countries before local industry and farming are ready to com-pete) often comes with increased rights for foreign investors The best example is the fact that powerful and rich countries insist on trade liberalisation and de-creased government regulation but say the opposite when it comes to intellectual rights and patents that benefit their busi-nesses They press for government inter-vention (causing astronomical rise in the price of medications) Oxfam has also argued that in-ternational trade is unfairly bi-ased against poor countries and that the IMF and WB reforms are painful It pointed out that heav-ily subsidised food imports from rich countries harm farmers in developing countries If we add to that the political fac-tors like US sanctions on the Sudan (which have delayed Dr Hania Fadls acquisition of spare parts for the breast cancer hospi-tal) and the EU making aid con-tingent on joining the ICC we realise that country-specific gov-ernance cannot be adequately assessed without taking into con-sideration the Global Govern-ance
The global governance forged after the Second World War no longer fits present day conditions Even Kofi Annan and President Obama have admitted that After long de-lays the US Congress has agreed to marginal IMF reform but the overall picture is the same Nobody can argue convincingly that Africa is flawless (or that the Sudan is perfect) Cri t icism of the Mo Ibrahim Index classification stems from the observation that it is too s t a t i s t i c a l l y - c e n t r e d w h i l e Governance is a political concept Certain indicators are left out in the statistics No points awarded for our hosting (without xenophobia) hundreds of thousands of displaced p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e g i o n
The Mo Ibrahim Index is uneven It is unfair to Africa Is it time for a rethink
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim
international trade is unfairly
biased against poor countries
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
Darfur South Darfur Minister of Health visits London
There is no rebellion in Darfur now said Ya-qoub al Dumouki when he visited the Embassy on 4 January 2016The West Darfur Minster of health continued to tell the Sudanese ambas-sador that there are isolated cases of robbery and banditry but the rebels who are politically motivated and armed have been chased out of the country by the excellent Rapid Support Force he rump of JEM is now in South Sudan and the remnants of Minnis group are in Lib-ya Abdul Wahid Nur has got some followers holed up in Jebel Marra hills They dare not climb down or threaten peace The RS Force has got better vehicles and better weapons than the rebels who have only two options run away for safety or be routed Coordination be-tween the Army and the RS Force is perfect because the tactics are different The RS Force uses the same methods employed by rebels light quick attacks in small well equipped groups The main challenge in Darfur now is develop-ment not security In West Darfur there is now a Qatari hospital that is powered by solar ener-gy only There is a Turkish teaching hospital
Qatars Aid Society has built a model village called Bulbul South of Nyala Eight small hospitals have been refurbished1400 midwives will be trained Nyala itself has received the first Vice President who inaugurated new electric power generators that provide more than enough supply for the city where electricity is now better than Khartoum The main Western motorway has reached Al-Fasher that has opened up the regions products for wider sales West Darfur is second only to Khartoum state in population density The governor is Adam alFaki Yaqoub alDumoukis visit demon-strates the way media misrepresentation has harmed the Sudan and its reputation Positive de-velopments are not well known in Europe and the USA where some journalists are still under the im-pression that Darfur is not safe and that it is full of marauding rebels
There is no rebellion in
Darfur now
Page 10
Sudan Embassy Media Office 13th January 2016
Contact us
Tel 020 7839 8080
Email khalidmustafabtinternetcom
Address
3 Cleveland Row St Jamesrsquos Street
London SW1A 1DD
Embassy of the Republic of The
Sudan
Monthly Newsletter Issued by
Media Office
January 2016
