Statement by the Minister of Finance at the World Bank meeting (Arab Group)

The full text of Mr. Djibril Ibrahim’s statement at the World Bank meeting:

I would like to begin by thanking the President of the World Bank Group, Mr. David Malpass, not only for his efforts to support the Sudan but also for his historic visit to the country and for presenting the World Bank’s annual address from Khartoum in 2021.

We value the Department’s efforts in clearing the arrears of the relevant international institutions on the Sudan and their assistance to us to reach the decision point of the HIPC programme – the Heavily Indebted Countries Initiative – in record time.

However, it was pointed out that everything that had been done was at risk if the World Bank did not intervene urgently.

We know that the freezing of relations took place for reasons related to the country’s political situation, but this freeze causes serious harm to the poorer segment of citizens. We therefore urge the World Bank Group to lift the freeze and resume relations with the Sudan as a matter of urgency.

Efforts to restore relations with financial institutions should not distract us from the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Sudan, which requires an integrated effort between the Sudan and the international financial institutions.