Sudan’s Treasury Risks Losing $2 Billion in Gold Revenues

The battles paralyze the commercial sector in Khartoum. (Reuters)
The battles paralyze the commercial sector in Khartoum. (Reuters)
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Sudan’s Treasury Risks Losing $2 Billion in Gold Revenues

The battles paralyze the commercial sector in Khartoum. (Reuters)
The battles paralyze the commercial sector in Khartoum. (Reuters)

Sudanese economists have warned that the prolongation of the war will afflict the Sudanese economy with huge losses and increase the average inflation rate, which has already reached 600 percent.

Sudanese Economist Dr. Muhammad Al-Nayer estimated that the suspension of operations at the Khartoum airport to have disrupted 5 percent of the total Sudanese exports and imports, which amount to a total of $15 billion. He added that the Sudanese treasury lost $2 billion of gold exports.

In terms of the volume of commercial losses, Al-Nayer estimated that those will amount to $15 billion, on the basis of $11 billion in imports and more than $4 billion in exports.

“If the war extends, spreads and widens, the gross domestic reserve will certainly be affected, inflation will worsen, and the price of the Sudanese currency will collapse,” he warned.

As for other indicators, according to Al-Nayer, Sudan “suffers from a high poverty rate that exceeds 60 percent, and a high unemployment rate that surpasses 40 percent.”

With regards to the revenues of the state treasury in the central government in Khartoum, the expert confirmed that it “has been affected since the outbreak of the ongoing skirmishes, and has even stopped operating completely”, unlike the situation in other states that have not yet been affected by the war.

For her part, Economist Somaya Sayed noted that the Sudanese economy has been witnessing a remarkable deterioration for years, which, in her opinion, was “one of the reasons for the fall of the former regime.”

This collapse continued even after the December Revolution due to the failure of the transitional government to achieve political and economic stability and to adopt policies that stimulate local production.

Sayed stressed, in comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, that neglecting the country’s resources and searching for external support has led to further economic decline,” expecting the recent outbreak to lead to a complete collapse that may have catastrophic consequences on the overall economic and living conditions.”



Aramco, TotalEnergies, SIRC Mull Establishment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant in Saudi Arabia

The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
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Aramco, TotalEnergies, SIRC Mull Establishment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant in Saudi Arabia

The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA

Saudi Aramco, TotalEnergies, and the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) have said they signed a joint development and cost-sharing agreement, aiming at evaluating the potential development of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the Kingdom.
The announcement coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday. The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom.
The evaluation phase will focus on utilizing innovative engineering and technological solutions to recycle and process local waste or circular economy by-products, including cooking oils and animal fats, to produce SAF.
President and CEO of Saudi Aramco Amin Hassan Nasser pointed out that addressing aviation emissions through low-carbon alternatives has become imperative in light of the expected growth in air travel demand, highlighting the crucial role of mega global energy companies like Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies.

"Addressing transportation emissions requires a wide range of approaches, and Aramco is committed to finding innovative solutions and contributing to global efforts to reduce emissions," he said.
Underlying the solid partnership between Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies, Nasser said: "Our goal is to establish a sustainable aviation fuel plant in the Kingdom with SIRC, benefiting both domestic and international airlines, particularly as the tourism and aviation sectors expand."
Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies Patrick Pouyanné expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Saudi Aramco and SIRC to assess SAF production in the Kingdom. He also stressed the importance of advancing efforts to decarbonize air transport.
SIRC CEO Ziyad Al-Shiha noted that the partnership aligns with the company's commitment to supporting the ambitious sustainability goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, saying: "We are focusing on increasing waste-to-resource conversion rates, and this new collaboration with Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies to assess the feasibility of a renewable aviation fuel plant is a significant step toward advancing the circular economy in the Kingdom."