Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, on Press TV world news discussing the situation in Sudan in December 2013. Azikiwe is a frequent contributor to global media outlets., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Sun Dec 8, 2013 4:40PM GMT
Press TV
Interview with Abayomi Azikiwe
To watch this Press TV interview with Abayomi Azikiwe just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/12/08/338883/both-sudan-economies-in-state-of-despair/
Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of Pan African News Wire from Detroit, about the announcement of the formation of a new government in Sudan.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: How would this new government change the political atmosphere of Sudan?
Azikiwe: The political atmosphere has been shaken inside the Republic of Sudan since 2011 when the country was partitioned as a result of the breakaway of the Republic of South Sudan.
The two countries together had constituted the largest geographic nation state in Africa. Sudan was emerging as a major oil producing state. They were producing 500,000 barrels per day.
Since the partition and since the continuing problems associated with the partition as well as internal problems within the Republic of Sudan today oil production now is down to less than 200,000 barrels per day.
So, the partition of the country, which is something that was highly supported by the United States as well as the state of Israel, which both supported the Republic of South Sudan, which broke away from the mother country - both economies have suffered immensely.
In the Republic of South Sudan it’s questionable whether it’s even a viable nation-state. The economy there has been pretty much at a standstill since the partition.
And of course in the north in the Republic of Sudan their economy has been negatively impacted as a result of the partition because many of the oil fields are in the South and production has been disrupted because of disagreements between the government of the Republic of South Sudan and the government in Khartoum [and that they] cannot agree on many aspects in terms of border demarcation; they have not been able to agree on service fees for the production, the extraction and the export from the south to the north.
The whole infrastructure of the country in terms of oil production has been disrupted.
So, when the government withdrew fuel subsidies several weeks ago there were mass demonstrations throughout the capital Khartoum and as a result of that the condition is becoming even more conflicted in terms of the various factions in the north.
Press TV: So, what you’re saying is that the policies of the government do not resonate with the people as much?
Azikiwe: Yes. What is happening is that the standard of living has dropped precipitously because of the decline in oil production and revenue brought in from oil production.
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