Economist: ‘Sudan’s gold processors should submit to agreements similar to oil companies’

A prominent Sudanese economist has suggested that companies operating in the field of gold in Sudan should to submit to similar agreements to oil companies.

Prof Ahmed Hamid of El Ahliya University and a member of the Communist Party’s Economic Committee said at a seminar organised by the Communist Party at its headquarters in Khartoum yesterday that he expressed surprise at the state’s failure to obtain an estimated percentage of the proceeds of gold production and participation in its production.

He said that the current economic crisis is a logical product of the policies of the former regime, which are still ongoing.

Prof Hamid held “the policies of economic liberalisation” responsible for the economic crisis and the hardship of living, expecting catastrophic effects in the event of a continued aggression, calling to stop it immediately.

He said that the policies caused the continuation of the budget deficit, the imbalance of payments, the sharp rise in inflation rates, along with the devaluation of the currency, the high unemployment rates, the poverty rate, and the disruption of state and private sector investment in favour of foreign investment.

He held the responsibility for the economic deficit to the rise in military spending, calling for a restructuring of government spending.

Prof Hamid also called for re-consideration of the public sector, expanding the state’s investment in infrastructure and social services and protecting small producers, as well as opening local markets to local products.

He demanded support to agriculture, health, education and a reduction in the value of food, leading to an increase in the productive capacity of workers.

He pointed out that holding the subsidy responsible for the economic deficit is incorrect.

Crimes in Darfur

Saleh Mahmoud, a leading member in the Communist Party, praised the government’s agreement to bring the wanted persons to the criminal court and considered this a positive step to meet the demands of the victims of crimes in Darfur.

Saleh Mahmoud said in a symposium organised by the Communist Party in Khartoum that the crime of breaking up the sit-in amounts to crimes against humanity and that it will be referred to the Security Council and the Criminal Court in the event that the investigation committee headed by Nabil Adib fails to achieve justice. He said that one of the challenges that threatens the transitional period is the inconsistency between the power structures and that the military component, which is more powerful, organised and influential than the civilian component.

He pointed to the varied positions of the Forces for Freedom and Change according to their interests, explaining that they do not reflect the social and political diversity and blindness of the hegemony of what he described as the centre’s elites, explaining that they have evolved into partisan quotas in the formation of governance structures.

He drew attention to the negative effects of the absence of the Legislative Council and the absence of legislation that protects citizens from the greed of merchants.

He warned against the consequences of regional and international interventions in the transitional period and considered the meeting of El Burhan and Netanyahu and Hamdock’s request to the Security Council to intervene under Chapter VI without consulting as a reflection of the interventions.

He expressed surprise at the continued rise in military spending despite the war stopping, wondering where these funds go.