Sudan, EU agree to step up joint anti-terrorism efforts

Abdul-Gani Alnaim

Sudan and the European Union on Tuesday agreed to step up joint efforts to fight terrorism and money laundering in Yemen and the Horn of Africa region.

Addressing a joint forum, where a memorandum of understanding was signed to this effect, Jean Michel, the EU’s special envoy for Sudan, warned that the Horn of Africa in particular still faced the threat of terrorism.

“The defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [also known as Daesh] does not mean the risk is diminishing, especially in the Horn of Africa and in Yemen,” Michel said.

Tuesday’s agreement, he went on to point out, calls for stepped-up information sharing between the two countries and capacity-building training for Sudanese security and law-enforcement agencies.

Abdul-Gani Alnaim, undersecretary of Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, for his part, used the occasion to reiterate Khartoum’s commitment to combatting both terrorism and money laundering.

In 2013, Horn of Africa countries and the EU signed a Counter-Terrorism Action Plan that laid down a five-year program for eliminating the twin phenomena.

Anadol

Ethiopia, Sudan to develop nuclear power with the help of Russia

Ethiopia recently signed an agreement with Russia to set up nuclear technology to help power the Horn of Africa country.

The agreement was signed last week during the visit of the Russian foreign affairs minister, Sergey Lavrov who met Ethiopia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu in Addis Ababa

“We agreed to strengthen economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries. We have also discussed ways to cooperate on various sectors, including in setting up nuclear technology centre, education, science, and technology,” said Workneh.

He was quick to indicate that the nuclear development program which will be launched after the conclusion of the agreement will be used for “peaceful purpose”, reports local media FANA Broadcasting Corporation.

Sudanese Water Resources and Electricity Minister Moataz Musa is also in Moscow for talks with the head of Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom on building nuclear power stations in Sudan, reports state news agency SUNA.

“The two sides will sign a number of memorandums of understanding, including a roadmap to build a nuclear plant,” ministry spokesperson Mohamed Gawish said.

The minister further explained that Sudan is looking forward to building a “small-scale nuclear reactor to produce electricity and to complete the studies needed to establish a nuclear plant within eight years under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, reports local media Sudan Tribune.

South Africa is the only country in Africa with a commercial nuclear power plant. Its two reactors located at the Koeberg nuclear power station produce 5% of the country’s electricity.

Other African countries including Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda are considering the use of nuclear power to generate electricity.

Face Africa

Sudan, Russia to sign accord to develop nuclear power: SUNA agency

Sudan will sign a ‘roadmap’ with Russia to build nuclear power stations during a visit to Moscow by Khartoum’s electricity minister, state news agency SUNA said on Monday.

SUNA said Water Resources, Irrigation, and Electricity Minister Moataz Mousa, who left Khartoum on Monday, would meet the head of Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom.

The trip comes four months after Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin he wanted to discuss nuclear power cooperation with Russia.

SUNA quoted a spokesman for the ministry as saying the two sides would sign several memorandums of understanding including the roadmap ‘to implement a plan to develop nuclear (power) stations

Sudan approves investment in uranium

The regular meeting of the Exchange Rate Control Committee , which is chaired by President of the Republic Feld Marshal Omer Al-Bashir , approved in the Republican Palace Monday opening of investment in field of uranium after consultation with the concerned security bodies.

The meeting reaffirmed amendment of a number of laws including Acts of Commerce, foreign currency , and Mineral resources to incriminate smuggling and stockpiling the precious minerals , exporting by prices less the international markets prices and delaying the exports revenues.

Minister of Trade, Hatem Al-Sir said the meeting reaffirmed amendment of a number of laws to incriminate delay in funding exports revenues to Central Bank of Sudan and that cheating in certificate of origin be a crime by law and punished the offender by the harshest penalty.

He added the meeting got assured of stability of export policies and gave directives for coordination in connection with putting stringent procedures and measures for combating operations of smuggling foreign currencies, gold, and Sudanese commodities.

The Minister indicated that the meeting recommended rewarding organs operating in fighting operations of smuggling of minerals and hard currencies.

Minister of Minerals, Professor, Hashim Ali Salim, for his part, unveiled that the Central Bank of Sudan has purchased 75% of the produced golds , pointing out that he presented a briefing about the new regulation on precious stones worked out by the Ministry.

Governor of Central Bank of Sudan, Hazim Abdul-Gadir , said the meeting reaffirmed amendment of the Foreign Currency Act to impose tougher penalties against smugglers of golds and currencies.

He pointed out that banks were directed to fund real estates for expatriates to attract more hard currencies and stabilize the exchange rate.

The Central Bank Governor said the meeting listened to a report about exchange rate control follow up mechanism and level of local and foreign liquidities , saying focus would be in the coming period on provision of local liquidities through commercial banks and ATMs.

SUNA

Turkey, Sudan eye cooperation in industry, technology

Top Turkish and Sudanese officials expressed interest Monday in developing cooperation in several fields, including industry, technology, and food production.

"Turkey is ready to work to establish industrial zones and technology centers, develop cooperation in patenting and branding, and in the production of halal food with Sudan," said Faruk Ozlu, Turkey's science, industry and technology minister.

"Political ties should be strong to develop economic relations between the two countries," Ozlu said, visiting Sudanese Finance Minister Mohamed Osman Soliman Al-Rikabi and Trade Minister Ali Hasab Al-Rasoul, according to Ozlu's press office.

"Sudan is an agricultural country but development in the agricultural area needs science and technology," Al-Rikabi said.

Al-Rikabi said bilateral trade between the two countries should aim to reach $10 billion.

He urged Turkish businesspeople to invest in Sudan and access other African markets via Sudan.

Al-Rasoul, for his part, said that Sudan faces problems exporting its halal food products.

He added: "We need to enter the world halal food market and we need Turkey's support and guidance for this."

Last December, a business forum was held in Sudan when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the country.

By Gokhan Ergocun

Anadolu Agency

energy@aa.com.tr

Chad could be removed from the U.S. travel ban list

U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has expressed his willingness to remove Chad from the travel ban list issued by the United States last September.

Tillerson who visited the capital N’Djamena on Monday described Chad as an “important partner” in counter terrorism.

Chad has been vital in the fight against Boko Haram and against ISIS in West Africa with its soldiers in the front line.

“We managed to defeat Daech in Iraq and Syria, we knew they were going to flee that region and we knew his fighters would go to Africa. They have settled in several regions,“he said, recalling U. S. support for the G5 Sahel multinational force, for which Washington pledged financial support.

According to a Chadian military source, the United States has a UAV unit based at N’ Djamena airport to monitor the Sahel, supports the Mixed Multinational Force (MMF) in the fight against Boko Haram, participates in Chadian military training and supplies equipment to the army.

Tillerson, is a former ExxonMobil CEO, a company with which N’ Djamena has had troubled relations over exploiting Chadian oil.

From Chad he briefly visited Nigeria for the final stage of his mini-African tour.

Both oil-producing countries are struggling to contain the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency.

Africa news

Kiir fires finance minister Stephen Dhieu

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Monday evening sacked the finance minister amid rising inflation and a broke government ravaged by the ongoing civil war.

Kiir replaced Stephen Dhieu Dau with Salvatore Garang Mabiordit Wol as the new minister of finance. Mabiordit was the technical adviser in the ministry of trade.

Stephen Dhieu was not given a new assignment, a rare move. 

The president gave no reason for firing Dhieu, who replaced David Deng Athorbei in July 2016.

In another decree, Kiir appointed Erjok Bullen Geu as the new deputy commissioner general of the National Revenue Authority. The South Sudanese leader also fired the assistant chief of defense forces for operations in the SPLA army, Lt. Gen. Marial Chanuong Yol.

Radio Tamazuj