SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Financial Times – Sudan militia chief hires Canadian lobbying group for $6m

30/6/19: Financial Times – Sudan militia chief hires Canadian lobbying group for $6m, by Tom Wilson

 Tom Wilson’s feature piece explores Himedti’s consultancy agreement with Dickens & Madson to help him secure a meeting with US president Donald Trump, support from Libya’s military leader Khalifa Haftar and free wheat from Russia.

 Matthew Page, associate fellow at Chatham House and former US Department of State official said lobbying contracts between Washington groups and African states were proliferating because there was a belief that the Trump White House was more susceptible to external influence than previous administrations.

 Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of Vanguard Africa, a Washington based non-profit organisation that says it supports ethical leadership in Africa, said “Pocketing millions of dollars from, and representing the selfish interests of, ruthless dictators has become a lucrative business,” adding that “it’s an upside-down world in which priorities are misplaced, the people suffer, and abusive leaders inevitably grow stronger and more emboldened.”