Sudan has been in turmoil for quite some time now, and it started ever since the President of the country Omar al-Bashir was toppled after countrywide protests against his regime. After his ouster, the military in Sudan assumed power in the country but assuming power and running the country are often two very different things. Over the recent months, the military leadership has struggled to govern the country due to a chronic lack of funds at its disposal and currently there is a shortage of food and medicine in the country. Those shortages could swiftly lead to another round of civil unrest. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have come together to send in an aid package valued at $3 billion to the African country, so that it can tide over this crisis.
According to the next agencies of the two countries, a total of $500 million in cash is going to be wired to the account of the central bank of Sudan. The rest of the aid is going to be sent to the country in other forms like petroleum items, essential drugs and food. The army’s takeover of the country has led to turmoil in the country since the people are unhappy with the rule of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and those who oppose the current leadership have demanded that a civilian government is put in place temporarily.
The protests have taken a dark turn with protestors having stationed outside the offices of the Defence Ministry and were eventually removed by force earlier this month. However, the TMC has reconsidered their position and have stated that they are in the process of figuring out how to bring a civil-military partnership in the ruling of the country. The chief of the TMC Abel Fattah al-Barhan staid,
“The issue has been put forward for discussion, and a vision has yet to be reached. The role of the military council complements the uprising and the blessed revolution.”
The military leadership have deep ties with Saudi Arabia, and the fact that the kingdom has come to Sudan’s rescue is not particularly surprising. Corruption is one of the biggest reasons behind the current economic turmoil in Sudan and perhaps this aid package from the Gulf states is going to go a long way in ameliorating the situation a bit so that things do not go out of control.
