Foreign Minister: Western sanctions on Sudan are a political weapon and will not achieve their goals

Khartoum – OnePress

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Mohiuddin Salem, said that the recent US, British and European sanctions on Sudan represent a “political weapon” that will not achieve its goals, pointing out that the policy of sanctions imposed on the country for decades did not achieve gains for the countries that imposed them, but will reflect negatively on their interests inside Sudan.

Salem said in a joint interview with Sudan News Agency (SUNA) and national television that these sanctions escalate whenever the armed forces make progress on the ground, expressing his hope that the United States and Britain will reconsider what he described as "unilateral sanctions" and their positions towards Sudan.

He denied U.S. accusations about the use of chemical weapons by the armed forces, saying the government had asked Washington to send a commission to verify the allegations, but had not responded and went on to impose sanctions without an investigation. Allegations of chemical weapons use in areas of Khartoum were “untrue”, he said, noting that those areas were inhabited and people lived there normally.

With regard to sanctions against the gold sector, Salem acknowledged that they could affect some sectors, particularly traditional prospectors.

The minister also discussed the course of communication with Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump's envoy to Africa and the Middle East, explaining that communication continues through the exchange of messages between the two sides, and that the Sudanese institutions are studying those messages and responding to them, while stressing the government's position that what is happening in Sudan is "an external attack supported by militias and mercenaries," expressing his hope that these contacts will contribute to achieving positive results.

The foreign minister concluded by stressing that the state institutions are managing the dialogue file with the United States and the international community in line with what he described as the wishes of the Sudanese people.