CAIRO,
May 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a move dismissed by
analysts as ‘hoax’, Sudan's southern rebels plan to launch their
own currency, the Sudanese pound, in August, news agencies reported
Saturday.
"When
the new Sudanese pound will be issued, the population" in the
rebel-controlled region of southern Sudan, "will stop dealing in
other currencies," said a spokesman of John Garang's Sudan
People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), quoted by the London-based Arab
daily newspaper al-Hayat.
The
Eritrea-based spokesman, Yasser Urman, denied that the decision to
issue a currency was a separatist move by the SPLM and its armed wing,
at war with the Sudanese government since 1983.
"It
has nothing to do with sovereignty or the secession of the south, it
is purely economical, intended to facilitate the business of the
population," he said.
Urman
did not specify the exchange rate of the planned currency, or whether
it will be convertible.
The
currency will be issued by a new bank, the Nile Commercial Bank, to be
run by a private company registered last February in Kenya, he
indicated.
The
bank's capital is one million dollars and it will open in August in
the Western Equatorial province city of Yambio, Urman said.
Sudan's
official currency, the dinar (SD), is not freely convertible. It's
official exchange rate is 256 SD for one U.S. dollar.
The
SPLM will also "soon" launch a radio, after "technical
hurdles are cleared," said Urman, without elaborating.
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John
Garang |
The
declaration is a clear indication that Garang is moving in the
direction of secession, as a currency means a sovereign state.
However, analysts and observers believe the move is ‘just an attempt
to pressure the Sudanese government and raise the ceiling of demands
in the ongoing negotiations’.
“To
have your own currency means you are a sovereign state. This is not
the case in Southern Sudan. Garang knows that, as much as he is aware
of the near impossibility of having a Southern state,” Egyptian
political analyst, Khaled Hanafy told IslamOnline Saturday.
“At
first, Garang thought he could enter Khartoum victoriously, establish
a secular regime in the Sudan. When he failed to do so, he started
thinking about establishing a state in the Southern part only. Until
recently, he was in a position to pressure the Sudanese government,
due to many reasons. He was supported by African states neighboring
Sudan. He headed a strong coalition of Sudanese parties, and he
enjoyed support of many big countries.
“Now,
things have changed. The government managed to break his coalition
through its reconciliatory policies. So, he lost Sadiq al-Mahdy’s
Umma Party and al-Mirghany’s Assembly for Democracy. Also, the
government’s tense relations with most, if not all, of its neighbors
have been improved,” Hanafy added.
Based
on these developments, Hanafy concluded that Garang’s declaration
concerning the birth of a currency cannot be more than a ‘hoax’.
“There
are several obstacles impeding the creation of an independent state in
Southern Sudan. First of which is African countries supporting Garang
themselves. They will not accept such a state for fear of tribal and
ethnic diversity of their own countries. Also, Arab countries, topped
by Egypt, will not just standby to watch a project that poses a clear
threat to their national security.
“Other
obstacles include the weakness of Garang’s SPLM itself. He does not
now control all the areas of the South,” Hanafy added.
Asked
whether the United States would back a separate state in the South,
Hanafy believed the question to be ‘difficult’.
“If
the U.S. finds such a state in line with its interests, backing will
be inevitable,” he said.
With
additional reporting by Khaled Mamdouh, IOL Cairo Staff
