Page 20 - DIVA_No.24_2006

Impressions of Sudan

while Prince Ben-Talal Southern Sudan the
from Saudi Arabia is infrastructure has been
constructing a new damaged, and there is not
shopping mall. These a single road in the whole
developments and other of the South. However,
construction projects people have recently
confirm that changes are started to move back and
the local government has
in
underway
the
Sudanese capital. even hired a company to
carry out urban planning President of Congo, Denis
Sassou Nguesso, President
In January, Khartoum so as to provide the city of the African Union
His Excellency Ali Ahemed hosted the African Union with the necessary infras-
Kern, Secretary of State for
Summit where the tructure. Despite the
the Ministry of Foreign
President of Congo, problems, Sudan is still
Affairs
Denis Sassou Nguesso, the biggest country on
the whole African
T he first impres- was elected President of continent and the
the African Union. The
sion you have
upon arriving in Sudanese government potential for business and
Khartoum is that all the had put a lot of effort investment is huge.
men are dressed in into the Summit, with When the Secretary of
white djellabas with the building of a new State for the Ministry of
turbans on their heads, conference centre to host Foreign Affairs, His Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare,
walking in a distinguis- presidents, delegates and Excellency Ali Ahemed the A U chairman
hed manner and journalists from the Kerti, received us, he
carrying black ebony whole African continent. stressed Sudan's wish for groups scattered around
walking sticks-that's Let us mention also the peace and stability so that this huge country that is
the national costume in well-equipped press they can continue develo- six times the size of
Northern Sudan. The centre equipped with ping the country so that it France and thirty-two
women, on the other more than 100 new com- becomes a better place times the size of
hand, wear long shirts puters and the latest for the Sudanese people Switzerland.
and skirts, as Sudan is technologies (wifi, fax, to live in. There are fifty-
first and foremost a telephone, etc.) that the three different ethnic
Muslim country, with a Government had set up
minority of Christians for the more than 300
in the South. journalists covering the
Summit. Nobody can
Years after the signing deny that every
of the peace agreement condition was met in
in Nairobi, and even if order to make life as
some people claim that painless as possible for
there are some weak the journalists.
points in that agree-
ment, people in general Despite the optimism,
tend to be optimistic there are still problems
about the future. New to be solved after
buildings are popping twenty-one years of civil
up all over Khartoum, war. In Khartoum there
and new roads and are about 2 million
bridges are being built. internally displaced per-
Chinese companies are sons, mainly refugees
investing extensively from the South who have
and control Sudan Oil; fled the war zone. In
18 2 2006 Diva