The World Bank has paused disbursements for operations in Sudan in response to the military’s seizure of power from a transitional government.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council’s civilian component and several ministers were arrested by joint military forces in an apparent coup.

The chairman of Sudan’s ruling body, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced the dissolution of the transitional government and the sovereign council and declared a nationwide state of emergency.

The African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and Arab League have all condemned the move, with the United States suspending $700million in aid to the country.

Reports say protesters, including doctors, oil workers and pilots, have hit the streets of Sudan as civilians demand release of the ousted prime minister and a return to civilian rule.

However, Sudan’s information ministry has denied dissolution of the government, maintaining that the civilian government under Hamdok was still the legal transitional authority in the country.

‘The World Bank Group paused disbursements in all of its operations in Sudan on Monday and it has stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation’, the World Bank Group President, David Malpass, said in a statement.

‘We hope that peace and the integrity of the transition process will be restored, so that Sudan can restart its path of economic development and can take its rightful place in the international financial community’.

The World Bank has been a close partner of Sudan, working alongside other development partners to establish the Sudan Family Support Programme and support the country’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout.

Sudan was embarking on an ambitious package of economic reforms, which paved the way for the country’s arrears clearance as it became eligible for debt relief under the HIPC initiative.

Source: World Bank

Photo source: Raidantravelsudan