Mubarak Al-Fadil Al-Mahdi, leader of Sudan’s Umma Party, has sharply criticized the SAF junta controlled-Port Sudan delegation’s recent appeal to the Arab Summit in Baghdad for assistance in rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and facilitating a political transition.
Al-Fadil argues that such requests are misplaced while Sudan’s gold revenues are being mismanaged and siphoned off amid ongoing conflict and corruption.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Al-Fadil stated that the Arab Summit was neither the appropriate forum nor the right time for Sudanese junta officials to seek external aid. He highlighted that the country’s gold revenues, estimated at $7 billion, are being squandered on warfare and corruption.
Al-Fadil drew a historical parallel, noting that former President Gaafar an-Nimeiry initiated a pattern of seeking foreign loans—such as the $6 billion received for eliminating the Sudanese Communist Party—which were misused, leading to a national debt that now exceeds $60 billion.
He further criticized the administration of former President Omar al-Bashir, stating that his regime misappropriated $70 billion in oil revenues over a decade, funds that could have transformed Sudan into a global agricultural powerhouse.
Al-Fadil added that in the final years of al-Bashir’s rule, he resorted to receiving cash handouts from Gulf states, including a $50 million bag delivered to his office.
Al-Fadil contends that the current leadership, under General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, is repeating these mistakes. He criticized the appointment of an Islamist ambassador as acting prime minister, who, instead of returning to Sudan to assume his duties, sought approval from his former employer before accepting the position.
Concluding his statement, Al-Fadil urged for an end to the ongoing war, emphasizing the widespread suffering of the Sudanese people. He called for the establishment of a professional national army free from political influence, the dissolution of all militias, and the implementation of the Jeddah Agreement and the Manama Framework Agreement as essential steps toward national reconciliation and recovery.
Al-Fadil’s remarks underscore the deepening frustration among Sudanese political leaders regarding the mismanagement of the country’s resources and the prolonged conflict that continues to devastate the nation.
