SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Financial Times – Sudan’s hopes of freedom must not be snuffed out

26/10/2021: Financial Times –  Sudan’s hopes of freedom must not be snuffed out

The Financial Times call for the international community to support Sudanese people while economically isolating the military, proposing innovative ways to financially support people while circumventing the government such as “funnelling small payments directly to people on their mobile phones, using the so-called M-Pesa technology pioneered in Kenya.”

The FT suggests that US’ removal of Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list was premature as it left no incentive for the military to stick to the transition, whereas international donors were “too slow” to fund an income-support programme for poor families affected by rising transport and food prices — “partly the result of IMF insistence on ending costly fuel subsidies,” which stoked popular discontent with the government and played into the generals’ hands.

Nonetheless, the FT suggest that the US suspension of Sudanese aid “is only likely to harm ordinary Sudanese for the sins of the military”.