UNHRC warns of ‘untold suffering’ U.S sanctions will have on Sudan in the age of Covid-19

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says Sudan is on the tipping point of “relapsing back into political instability and potential conflict.”

UN Photo/Tim McKulka In south Darfur, Sudan, Ambororo nomadic tribesmen wait for transport to the Blue Nile State. (file)

The bleak remark comes as war-torn Sudan stretches its resources and health system to their limits to address the 275 Covid-19 cases ravaging the impoverished north African country.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said unilateral sanctions on Sudan, primarily sanctions imposed by the U.S, are making it extremely difficult for the once authoritarian government to acquire the resources it desperately needs to address the coronavirus pandemic, as well as ongoing issues like poverty, starvation, and development.

In particular, the UNHRC blames Sudan’s ongoing suffering on the U.S’ decision to continue placing the north African nation on its State Sponsors of Terrorism list, despite the ousting of its former leader turned dictator, Omar al-Bashir. “The only way Sudan will ever be able to break out of this cycle of poverty and desperation is to be freed from the impediments of sanctions imposed at the time of the previous government. This would enable Sudan to attract investment for its much-needed economic reforms, and to fully access funds of the international financial institutions,” Bachelet said. Listing Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism disqualifies it from receiving any financial aid from the International Monetary Fund. “We must act swiftly and generously to provide financial support. Otherwise, we run the risk of a country which held such promise relapsing back into political instability and potential conflict,” Bachelet said.

According to the UN, Sudan’s new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been crying out for help for weeks now, warning the UN Secretary-General of the calamity Sudan might fall back into because of added financial pressure caused by the novel coronavirus. “The health system is simply not equipped to handle an outbreak on the scale we have seen elsewhere in the world,” Bachelet said. UN Secretary General Anotnio Guterres is urging the international community to step in and support the Sudanese government and its 43 million people in their fight against the coronavirus and for a better more prosperous future.

By: Niza Nondo