WORLD / MID-EAST
IMF says it’s ‘monitoring’ developments in Sudan coup
Published: Oct 27, 2021 07:29 PM
Sudanese people take the streets after the 'military coup' attempt in Khartoum, Sudan on October 25, 2021. Photo: CFP

Sudanese people take the streets after the 'military coup' attempt in Khartoum, Sudan on October 25, 2021. Photo: CFP


The IMF on Tuesday said it was following events in Sudan after a military coup that saw the prime minister deposed and major donors suspend aid.

"It is premature to comment on the implications of recent events in Sudan, but we are monitoring the developments carefully," a spokeswoman for the Washington-based crisis lender told AFP.

The coup comes just over two years into a delicate power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians after the army's ouster during enormous street protests in April 2019 against longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.

The military on Monday seized Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and briefly detained him, however on Tuesday his office said he had been brought home along with his wife.

Sudan had been emerging from decades of stringent US sanctions after Washington removed the country from its state sponsor of terrorism blacklist in December 2020, eliminating a major hurdle to much-needed aid and financial investment.

The World Bank and IMF in June granted Sudan debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, cutting the nation's debt in half to about $28 billion, and the institutions have offered additional help if economic reforms continue. However, following the coup, the US, a key backer of the transition, strongly condemned the military's actions and suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. 

The EU late Tuesday threatened "serious consequences" for Sudan's rulers, including financial support.