First Enemy (2-3) ✍️ Rashan O'Shea
In Sudan today, there are many hypotheses and even more expectations… and the data is strange. But what it secretes on Earth is even stranger.
The Sudanese, groaning under the weight of their economic and living crises, keep their eyes and hearts turned towards what is happening on the front of the “war”, and towards what the “arsenal” of the unknown future has in store for them.
Between an international movement that arrives and another that prepares its suitcases for return and frustration with the impact of the lack of solutions, the situation is getting worse as Sudan has practically become an “occupied country”… Its politicians and officials are important guests, and its decisions are outside its territory.
Against the backdrop of displacement and aggression by the rapid support militia supported by the “United Arab Emirates” supported by the occupation, and fighting within the population by two “forces”, one hidden and the other behind the scenes, people are living under the weight of another aggression, even more painful, because it represents a painful betrayal, a betrayal of those who entrusted them with their lives. They gave them confidence, believing that the war had united the Sudanese conscience and elevated the national ego.
On the other hand, and despite the enthusiastic speeches, a remarkable state of “authoritarian corruption” was born, and the “common priorities” within the corrupt camp were to seize the opportunity of displacement, itinerancy and disorientation, to collect wealth through public money.
We mentioned in the first episode of this series of articles that the reasons for the collapse of the economy following the deterioration of the value of the national currency are due to three problems: the fuel mafia, which monopolized its importation, and paid the value of the ships on the black market, in addition to the detention of (900) trillion pounds sterling in the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The third party responsible for sabotaging the national economy is the “Sudanese Customs Authority”.
In the first months of the outbreak of the war, the Sudanese Ministry of Commerce issued a list of strategic and necessary goods and handed it over to several relevant parties to adhere to it and not allow any goods not on the list to enter the country, but the customs authority violated the ministerial order and committed heinous crimes of corruption, which caused the collapse of the currency.
The “customs” made payments with hundreds of trucks entering through the various crossings, carrying prohibited goods, and the procedures were carried out outside the banking system, without bank import forms and with full financing from the black market.
He adopted the pallet system and what was called personal property, which caused the collapse of the Sudanese pound and thus the collapse of the economy as a whole.
The issue was discussed at a meeting attended by members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and the Bank of Sudan, and a direct question was addressed to the Minister of Finance, saying: “The Ministry of Finance collects the value of these settlements?” In turn, he confirmed that his ministry had not received “a single cent” of the value of these settlements.
To be honest, after obtaining this information from the relevant authorities, I worked to investigate the performance of the current customs director, “Salah Ahmed Ibrahim,” because his predecessors were involved in corruption crimes. I found his history clear. , and he is known for his integrity, but unfortunately he is a weak administrator. No. He can confront the “ghoul” of corruption that controls his institution.
There is no doubt that the war has created a new reality that has had repercussions on everything. There are also the repercussions of the growth of corruption networks within sensitive state agencies, the expansion of the ambition of many, and also the acceleration of desertion.
In this climate, corruption networks protected by the government have found the opportunity to plunder public money, certainly further impoverishing the Sudanese people.
And we continue
My love and respect
The article has been published First Enemy (2-3) ✍️ Rashan O'Shea First on Filet Zoll.
