ROMA (ITALPRESS) – On April 15, three years ago a conflict began in Sudan that is still today causing “a catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian situation”. Thus the Sudanese ambassador to Rome, Emadeldin Mirghani Altohamy, commented on the ongoing war in his country, which sees opposition to the Sudanese Armed Forces (Saf) and the paramilitary group of the Rapid Support Forces (Rsf).
In an interview with Claudio Brachino for Diplomacy Magazine, the column of geopolitics of the Italpress agency, the ambassador speaks of a “dead anniversary” for the Sudanese people. “On that same day, the Rapid Support Forces began committing crimes not only in Sudan, but also in Africa and the world, and are considered responsible for some of the most serious crimes against humanity. The war has led to the occupation of 11 states out of 18 in Sudan, to the death of 150 thousand people, to the displacement of 12 million citizens and to the complete destruction of the infrastructure of the country, with a catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian situation”, said the diplomat. “We use the solidarity of peoples towards the Sudanese people,” he added.
An appeal to the solidarity that Italy has already welcomed with the humanitarian initiative Italy for Sudan launched last December. “The initiative represents a concrete expression of the solidarity of the people and the Italian government towards the people and the Sudanese government, and is founded on the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries in this context”, is the ambassador’s comment, who thanked the Italian authorities. “This initiative has had a strong impact and a wide spread among Sudanese citizens and has been welcomed by our government. This demonstrates the solidity of relations between Sudan and Italy in these circumstances,” the diplomat continued.
Between Italy and Sudan the relationships “are ancient and continuous”, according to Altohamy, and include cooperation in different areas, including cultural, social and political. “There is also a good level of economic activity between the two countries, as Sudan has a great economic potential, especially in the agricultural, zootechnical and mining sectors,” the diplomat explained. “Italy imports many natural products from Sudan, especially the Arab rubber, of which we export about 90 percent of world production. Sudan is also the third world producer of sesame and the first in Africa. We also export agricultural and zootechnical products such as leather and oilseeds. We import many Italian products, as Italy is an advanced country from the technological, industrial and agricultural point of view, and therefore there is a broad exchange that includes industrial goods, electrical equipment, building materials and food products, as well as a significant collaboration with many large Italian companies, especially in the fields of infrastructure, roads and bridges,” the ambassador said, however, “the volume of trade between the two countries needs further efforts”.
The country is currently in an emergency situation and humanitarian aid is currently an essential component. The last international donor conference held in Berlin on 15 April, however, attracted the criticism of the Sudanese authorities. “The Berlin Conference is not the first in this context, having been preceded by the Paris and London conferences. However, that of Berlin, in my opinion, has made a serious mistake in not inviting the Sudanese government internationally recognized. The Sudanese government is the legitimate government and the legitimate representative of the Sudanese people, and the international community recognizes it as such on the basis of these principles. The Sudanese Armed Forces are the official forces of the country according to the Constitution since the independence of Sudan. Treating the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Fast Support Forces as two parties in conflict represents a serious injustice and a violation of sovereignty,” the ambassador observed.
At such a difficult time, the cultural dimension can represent a channel of dialogue and approach among peoples. According to Altohamy, this dimension is one of the most important areas, even in relations with Italy. “The relations between Sudan and Italy are rooted in history, date back to the Roman Empire and the ancient Nubian civilization, as confirmed by archaeological discoveries,” he observed. “The cultural and human relations between Sudan and Italy are therefore founded on ancient historical foundations,” he continued, and in this context, according to the diplomat “one of the best programs realized” was that developed in collaboration with the Italian Parliament under the slogan “Uniti per il Sudan”.
-Foto Italpress-
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