Economist: Protests cost Sudan $500 million

Former Minister of Finance and economist El Tijani El Tayeb has assessed the financial burden as a result of the ongoing protests in the country so far at SDG 24 billion ($500 million*).

He pointed out that in the event the protests continue, they will put the budget for 2019 in an unrealistic position. He said that the economic situation in 2019 will be very difficult and will be disastrously reflected in the public budget

Mustafa Abdelhafiz of the Telecommunications and Sudanese Post Regulatory Authority said: “The number of mobile subscribers has exceeded 30 million with an increase of five per cent over the previous year 2018, and the number of landline subscribers exceeded 13 million”.

The Minister of Information has called for reliance on sound planning and prioritisation to enable every citizen to enjoy his right to access telecommunications services wherever the required quality and value are.

#SudanUprising

Since mid-December last year, Sudan has experienced ongoing popular protests that have spread to towns and cities across the country.

Dozens of civilians have been killed, hundreds injured, and unknown thousands detained as the Sudanese security forces routinely respond to peaceful protests with tear gas, batons, and live ammunition.

The Sudanese Professionals Association and the forces signatory to the Declaration of Freedom and Change – major movers behind the popular uprising and protests – confirmed their unwavering commitment to the unconditional step-down of Al Bashir and his regime, the dismantling of repressive institutions, and the handover of power to a transitional civilian national government.

* As effective foreign exchange rates can vary widely in Sudan, Radio Dabanga bases all SDG currency conversions on the Market Makers Mechanism-determined daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS).