Adam Graham

Eco 357 

Sudan: Post-coup Purge Underway

            A new military government has been established in Sudan.  According to this article, some of their first orders of business have been to capture and convict previous, what they think were corrupt, politicians. 

            One example of this is the conviction of Mr. Idris al Banna, a member of Sudan’s council of state.  He was refused a lawyer and denied access to the incriminating evidence against him.  He was sentenced for twenty years on the charges of economic sabotage, ten years for squandering public funds, and ten years for fraud. 

            This was the first arrest of the new campaign against these overthrown politicians.  Since Idris, there have been many more arrests of other politicians or people associated with politicians such as the wife of a prime minister, her husband, and Sudan’s Roman Catholic Bishop.  The military government says that all of these people have been involved in corrupted politics.  Since this coup, sources say nearly 60 high court and local court judges have resigned or been dismissed.  Some have been replaced with three man military tribunals, such as in Idris’s case.

            Since this crackdown, sources say that many shop owners have shut down in the city of Khartoum in rebellion of selling their goods at the government set prices.  Conditions are the worst they have been says some, with nationwide shortages of bread, sugar, and fuel.  With a foreign exchange shortage, the government is desperate for international help.  As of now Sudan’s leader, Omar Hassan el Bashir, has only the full support of Col. Gaddafy of Libya.