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A30 world news
Diamars 18 mei 2021

France holds global talks to offer debt relief for Sudan

ence. "We are expecting from other participants ... The country's annual inflation soared past 300%
to make a similar effort, which is the needed effort last month, one of the world's highest rates.
to free Sudan from the debt burden."
The country plunged into an economic crisis when
Macron said a global process of reduction of Su- the oil-rich south seceded in 2011 after decades of
dan's debt should be formally launched by the IMF war, taking with it more than half of public rev-
by the end of June. enues and 95% of exports.

France will also provide $1.5 billion loan to clear Sudan was also an international pariah after it was
Sudan's arrears to the IMF, he added. placed on the United States' list of state sponsors of
terror in the 1990s. This largely excluded the coun-
(AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron Burhan hoped that "this will pave the way for other try from the global economy.
announced the cancellation of Sudan's $5 bil- creditors of Sudan."
lion debt to France in an effort to support the Former President Donald Trump removed Sudan
country's transitional leadership and help its Sudan's transitional government has taken a set of from the blacklist after the transitional government
crippled economy recovering, at a Paris con- measures in recent months to transform the coun- agreed to pay $335 million in compensation for
ference gathering African leaders and inter- try's economy. That measures included a managed victims of attacks carried out by Osama bin Laden's
national creditors. flotation of the Sudanese pound in an unprece- al-Qaida network while the terror leader was living
dented step that led to hikes in the price of fuel and in Sudan. The removal also was an incentive for
Macron hosted the event Monday for Gen. Abdel- other essential goods. Sudan to normalize ties with Israel.
Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan's ruling sovereign
council, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The The flotation was a key demand by the IMF, with Dr. Suliman Baldo, senior advisor at The Sentry,
heads of state of neighboring Egypt and Ethiopia which Sudan is expected to end in September a a watchdog group, said the Sudanese transitional
were notably attending, as well as the Internation- 12-month program to win relief on its foreign government continues to make "encouraging prog-
al Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina debt, which is at $70 billion. ress" but "this progress risks being undone unless it
Georgieva and African Union Commission Chair- is rooted in a tangible shift away from the opaque
man Moussa Faki Mahamat. Hamdok praised a "milestone, historic conference" and corrupt system operated for decades by the
and wished the conference will be a starting point former regime."
The conference aimed at marking Sudan's rein- for the return of private and international invest- "The transitional government must deal with this
tegration into the international community after ments to Sudan in the wake of economic changes legacy with more resolve than it has shown to
three decades of isolation. A popular uprising in initiated by the transitional government. date," Baldo said.
the African nation led to the military's overthrow
of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Cash-stripped Sudan has for years struggled with On Tuesday, another summit hosted by Macron
an array of economic woes, including a huge bud- will focus on ways to finance African economies to
"We are in favor of entirely cancelling Sudan's debt get deficit and widespread shortages of essential help them recover from huge economic losses due
(towards France)," Macron said in a news confer- goods and soaring prices of bread and other staples. to the pandemic.

EU vows to boost efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian fighting

(AP) — The European stressed the "absolute need" to call for an end to the esca- targeting Hamas' militant in- Hamas used the building for
Union will redouble its ef- to cease hostilities between lation in violence and ensure frastructure. Palestinian mili- a military intelligence office.
forts to end the surge in vi- Israel and the Palestinians, that civilians are protected. tants in Gaza have fired more The AP has called on Israel to
olence between the Israeli the French presidency said. than 3,100 rockets into Israel. provide evidence.
military and Palestinian Macron reaffirmed France's Tuesday's meeting is to seek
militants, and seek prog- support to the Egyptian me- "how best that EU can con- At least 198 Palestinians have "The destruction of media
ress during a special meet- diation in the conflict. tribute to diffusing the ten- been killed in the strikes with offices in Gaza is extremely
ing of its foreign ministers sions, stop the escalation and 1,300 people wounded, ac- worrying and the safety and
on Tuesday. Rome also looked ahead to stop the ongoing violence," cording to the Gaza Health security of journalists and
Tuesday's meeting. Foreign EU spokesman Peter Stano Ministry. Eight people in Is- all their colleagues, the press
The EU also called the week- Minister Luigi Di Maio said said. rael have been killed in rock- people, is essential," Stano
end destruction of a building Italy had requested to discuss et attacks from Gaza. said. "Independent report-
housing The Associated Press the Mideast violence and said Pro-Palestinian critics of EU ing, especially in situations of
and other major international "the violence and attacks be- policy insist the bloc has been Over the weekend, Israel conflict and especially from
media "extremely worrying" tween Israel and Palestine far too lenient when it comes destroyed a building hous- areas of conflict, is indispens-
and said safe working condi- must stop." In a Facebook to imposing sanctions on Je- ing The Associated Press and able."
tions for journalists were es- post, he added that "the EU rusalem. other media, and claimed that
sential. with its 27 member states
must take a clear and unified The fighting broke out last
The EU has never had the position and work to press the week, when the Hamas mili-
impact that Washington can parties to sit together again at tant group fired long-range
wield in the region and no the negotiation table." rockets at Jerusalem after
immediate breakthrough weeks of clashes in the city
was expected from Tuesday's Because EU policy toward between Palestinian protest-
meeting. Ever since the out- the region requires unanimi- ers and Israeli police. The
break of violence last week, ty among the 27 EU member protests were focused on the
the EU has been calling for nations, its actions and state- heavy-handed policing of a
restraint and condemned at- ments haven't had the impact flashpoint sacred site during
tacks that hit civilian popula- that could be expected from the Muslim holy month of
tions. a bloc of 450 million people Ramadan and the threatened
that has large trade interests eviction of dozens of Pales-
Individual member states in the region. tinian families by Jewish set-
also let their voices be heard. tlers.
EU foreign policy chief Josep
France's President Emmanu- Borrell and European Coun- Since then, the Israeli mili-
el Macron and Egypt's Presi- cil President Charles Michel tary has launched hundreds
dent Abdel Fattah el-Sissi both called over the past days of airstrikes that it says are