NO ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST INDEPENDENT SOUTH SUDAN
Information from Washington will bring great relief to in particular the business community in the soon to be independent new Republic of South Sudan, especially those with interests in the tourism industry.
‘There will be no sanctions against the new country’ was the tenor of the message from DC, indicating that while the sanction regime against Khartoum will remain in place until all required conditions for the removal of sanctions have been met, the South, not being part of the crimes committed by the North, will be exempted by the US.
This decision is likely to add more fuel to the fire in Khartoum, already ‘unhappy’ with sanctions yet the regime had done little to meet the demands of the international community. Only last week did the parliament in Khartoum resolve that members elected in the South of the country would no longer be permitted to attend parliamentary sessions, inspite of the continued integrity of the country until the actual Independence Day, and there is even more nasty stuff coming from Khartoum over plans to also prematurely dissolve the coalition government in which the SPLM has several key positions and sack ministers and even the First Vice President as a measure of retaliation against the South for voting nearly 100 percent for independence during the January referendum.
Inspite of such vengeful acts by the Northern regime, the Southern leadership and business community are confident that their march towards the 09th of July can now no longer be derailed, and being able to trade freely with the rest of the world after independence, without the application of any sanctions, will be a further confidence boost for the new country.
It is also understood that in particular safari operators and tented camp operators from the East African region have been trying to get as much information as is available about the 6 national parks and the dozen or more game reserves with the aim to establish businesses soon after independence. The prospect of lifted sanctions is encouraging for such investors too, as it lifts any uncertainties of dealing with a country under US and international sanctions.
Watch this space.
