Sudan’s Burhan Demands UK Apologizes for ‘Colonial Crimes’

General Abdul Fattah Burhan, AFP
General Abdul Fattah Burhan, AFP
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Sudan’s Burhan Demands UK Apologizes for ‘Colonial Crimes’

General Abdul Fattah Burhan, AFP
General Abdul Fattah Burhan, AFP

Sudan’s military ruler, General Abdul Fattah Burhan, said on Tuesday that Britain must apologize for what he labeled as “colonial crimes” committed during British rule of the North African nation.

Burhan vowed to preserve the unity of the military establishment in Sudan and warned against attempts to spread sedition among the country’s armed forces.

He made his remarks during a speech marking the 124th anniversary of the 1898 Battle of Omdurman.

In Sudan the battle is known as the Battle of Kerreri, after the village west of Omdurman where it took place.

“What the colonizer’s army did was a crime against humanity. Perpetrators deserve to be held accountable,” said Burhan, adding that British soldiers had continued to kill and commit horrific crimes for four days after the battle had ended.

Sudan’s ousted president, Omar al-Bashir, had also demanded in April 2008 that Britain and Western countries apologize to the African peoples for the massacres they committed in Sudan, Algeria, and other countries.

Bashir also demanded that the UK and Western countries return wealth they looted from African nations.

Burhan denounced “the silence about the demand for retribution for the Kerreri martyrs.”

He called on Britain to provide compensation for “the families of the martyrs and the Sudanese people who were deliberately killed.”

“What happened amounts to genocide and ethnic cleansing," he stressed.

Burhan accused unnamed parties of seeking to eliminate the Sudanese state, by provoking tribal fighting and regional wars and questioning the leadership of the army.

“No one will be able to dismantle the military institution, and it will remain cohesive and strong with its unity,” affirmed Burhan.

“The military institution's exit from politics does not mean that it will allow others to do what they want in it,” he stressed.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.