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SUDAN
BASIC FACTS ABOUT COUNTRY
Name and capital of the country:
Republic of the Sudan. Capital: Khartoum
Names of States & capitals (in brackets): Khartoum State (Khartoum), Red Sea State
(Port Sudan), River Nile State (Ed Damar), Kassala State (Kassala),
Gedarif State (Gadarif), Sinnar State (Singa), Blue Nile State (Ed
Damazin), Upper Nile State (Malakal), White Nile State (Rabak), Northern
State (Dongola), Gezira (Rufaa), Jonglei (Bor), Eastern Equatorial State
(Kapoyta), Bahr El Jabal (Juba), Lakes (Rumbek), Western Equatoria (Yambio),
Western Bahr Al Gazal (Wau), North Bahr Al Gazal (Aweil), Unity State (Bentiu),
Warab State (Warab), South Kordogan (Kadugli), North Kurdofan (El Obeid),
North Darfur (El Fasher), West Darfur (Aj Genina), South Darfur) Nyala)
Population: 35 million (estimate)
Currency/Exchange rate as on a recent
date: Sudanese Dinar (SD), US$ 1 = SD 210 (as of August 2006). The
Dinar has been steadily appreciating against the US dollar since January
2006 and is expected to climb to 200 SD to one dollar by December 2006
Languages spoken: Arabic (official
language, spoken by 60% of population), English widely spoken in South
and estimated 115 tribal languages, of which over 27 are spoken by more
than 100,000 people
Latitude/Longitude and time zone
details of country, capital: 15° 65'N, 32° 48'E, 0300 Hours (+ GMT)
with no daylight saving time
Head of State/Head of Government:
Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, President of the Republic of
the Sudan
First Vice President: Lt. Gen.
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Vice President: Ali Osman Mohammed
Taha
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Dr.
Lam Akol Ajawin
Minister of Defence: Lt. Gen. Abdel
Rahim Mohamed Hussein
Minister of Foreign Trade: Prof.
George Burreng V. Nyombe
Minister of Industry: Prof. Galal
Yousef Eldigair
Official Website Link to Foreign
Ministry: www.sudanmfa.com
Website link to Ministry of Finance &
National Economy:
www.mof-sudan.net
Name, address and contact details of
Central Bank: (Central) Bank of Sudan, Khartoum, website:
www.bankofsudan.org, ww.sudanbank.org
Basic foreign, international trade etc
policies:
I. Tariff and non-tariff issues concerning
imports
• Countervailing duty regime – Sudan has
no Safeguard law.
• The Tariff quotas, tariff exemptions –
Sudan has no tariff quotas, tariff exemptions are available for
investment projects governed by the Investment Law and for items within
Article 54 of the Customs Law.
• Other duties and charges, specifying any
charges services rendered – An additional tax ranging from 5 per cent to
150 per cent is imposed on 122 items (HS 8-digit heading).
• Quantitative import restrictions,
including prohibitions, quotas and licensing systems – Sudan does not
apply any quantitative import restrictions. All goods can be imported to
Sudan except those prohibited by religious or security considerations.
• Import licensing procedures – Generally,
imports do not need an import license.
• Other border measures – Sudan does not
apply any other border measures
• Custom valuation and Application of
internal taxes on imports – Sudan uses the Brussels definition of value
(BDV).
• Other customs formalities – Importers
must present an import declaration, commercial invoice certificate of
origin, quarantine license (where necessary), Sudanese Standards and
Metrology organization (SSMO) requirements or other documents for
specific type of goods, and completion of bank formalities.
• Pre-shipment inspection – Sudan has no
mandatory pre-shipment inspection, but importers are advised to have
pre-shipment inspection certificate issued by the international cargo
inspectors registered by Sudanese Standards & Meteorology Organisation (SSMO).
• Rules of origin – The Certificate of
origin for imports is mainly required when there are tariff preferences.
• Anti-dumping regime – Sudan has no
anti-dumping law yet.
II. Information relating to setting up of
offices/firms/companies for trade and manufacturing purposes.
Request should be made
to the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Ministry of Foreign Trade
conveying the intent of setting up offices/firms/companies, etc. The
Ministry of Foreign Trade sends a set of rules and regulations for the
company intending to open an office in Sudan which are to be followed.
There are no special formalities for renting office spaces or
residential accommodations or hiring of local
staff.
III. Local requirements like registration
etc. for exporting to the country Import and Export in Sudan needs
registration of importer or exporter in the imports/exports registry at
the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Chamber of Commerce as an
importer/exporter.
Membership of major multilateral and
regional organisations:
United Nations and its specialized
agencies, African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States, African
Development Bank, African Union, Arab Bank for Economic Development in
Africa, Arab League , Common Market for East and South Africa, Group of
77, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Bank, IMF, International
Civil Aviation Organization, International Criminal Court (signatory),
International Criminal Police Organization, Non-aligned Movement,
Organization of the Islamic Conference, Universal Postal Union, World
Customs Organization, World Federation of Trade Unions, World Tourism
Organization, World Trade Organization (observer)
Major industries, global companies, etc
Owing to unstable conditions since
Independence in 1956, Sudan has been unable to develop any major
industry. Sudan Master Technology Engineering Company (SMT) was formed
in the early 1990s to motor Sudan’s industrial development. The jewel in
its crown is the Giad Group (established in the late 1990s) whose
activity spans assembly of automobiles and tractors, industrial sectors
like steel, aluminium cables,
furniture, cables, medical equipment, agricultural equipment. Giad is
still struggling to find its feet as a viable industrial entity.
The most successful industries are in food
processing, notably sugar refining. Refined sugar production now matches
domestic demand. Other small-scale manufacturing units include
pharmaceuticals, electrical goods, cement, paints, soft drinks, and
flour. Despite repeated claims that it is being revived, the textile
sector
has continued to languish.
Following the pledging of some US$ 4.5 bn
at the April 2005 donor’s conference in Oslo, there are plans for
several infrastructure projects including roads and railways. Major
international companies in Sudan include China National Petroleum
Company, Petronas (Malaysia), ONGC Videsh Limited, BHEL, Maruti Udyog
Ltd, Tatas, RITES and IRCON. American firms are barred by sanctions
imposed in 1997 from doing business in Sudan while European majors (with
business interests in the USA) are hedging their bets.
Significant economic activities such as
agriculture, mining, knowledge industries, services such as financial
services, shipping, tourism, etc.
Agriculture is Sudan’s largest economic
sector in terms of its contribution to both GDP and employment,
accounting for almost 45% of real GDP (2005) and two thirds of the
working population. Farming is both irrigated (in the North) and
rain-fed. Despite aspirations of making Sudan the “breadbasket” of
Africa, the sector as a whole has suffered from underinvestment, leading
to a deterioration of its basic infrastructure, marked by a decline in
the area under cultivation. The privatization of some services to the
collective agricultural projects combined with declining credit
provision has undermined growth. In July 2006, the Government launched
its US$ 1.5 bn Green Renovation project seeking to increase acreage,
boost production and enhance agricultural exports.
Cotton was the single most important
export crop for Sudan, but it was replaced in 1996 by sesame as the most
important agricultural export commodity. Historically, Sudan’s other
famous export has been Gum Arabic used widely in the production of soft
drinks and medicines. However, Chad, Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali and
Senegal have challenged Sudan’s position as a monopoly supplier in the
world market.
Since 1999, the hydrocarbon sector has
emerged as a major contributor to GDP. Oil exports in 2006 are estimated
to be around US$ 8 bn with production slated to cross 600,000 barrels
per day by the year end. Gold is mined in the Red Sea Hills, with
reserves in end-2006 estimated at 37 tonnes. Sudan also has untapped
deposits of minerals including chromite, silver, iron ore, copper, lead,
mica, asbestos, tungsten, zinc, diamonds and uranium.
Established in 1959, the Bank of Sudan is
responsible for managing monetary and credit policy. There are 26
commercial banks in Sudan, of which 17 are wholly or majority privately
owned. Several foreign banks operate operations in Sudan, besides a
number of non-bank financial institutions, essentially insurance firms.
After the 1989 coup, the banking sector was run entirely on Islamic
financial principles, but with the January 2005 North-South
Comprehensive Peace Agreement conventional banking is permitted in the
South. Under an IMF Staff monitoring programme since 1997, many steps
were taken to strengthen the system with some success, most notably the
tightening of capital adequacy ratios and the introduction of a new
paid-in capital minimum.
As economic development picks up, foreign
banks, especially from the Middle East are coming in. Bank Byblos set up
shop in 2004, Al Salam Bank, Emirates and Sudan Bank and Dubai Islamic
Bank (all with UAE funds) came in 2005 and 2006.
The planned redevelopment of Khartoum
should boost construction activity. The centre-piece will be the
private-public multibillion dollar Al Mogran project at the confluence
of the White and Blue Niles to cerate a 160 acre business district in
central Khartoum and an adjacent luxury 1,420 acre residential and
leisure estate.
Despite Sudan’s many attractions (it has
more pyramids than Egypt) tourism has not taken off at all, due to
adverse publicity in the international media. The hospitality sector is
grossly underdeveloped. For example there are just four “first class”
hotels in Khartoum with 1,200 beds. In 2005, just 7,000 tourists visited
Sudan, mainly to visit archaeological sites in the East and North.
Global Trade (2005)
Imports (fob): US$ 5,028 mn
Exports (fob): US$ 5,051 mn)
Major exporting countries China,
India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt
Major importing countries
China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,
Egypt, Germany
Major Universities/Scientific
Institutions
There are 28 Government run universities and a number of private
colleges. Major Universities are University of Khartoum, University of
Sudan, Sudan University of Science & Technology, University of Juba, and
University of Gezira.
Major Tourist attractions/museums etc.
Ethnographical Museum and National Museum in Khartoum, Beit al-Khalifa
museum in Omdurman, Port Sudan along the Red Sea, Suakin Island situated
58km south of Port Sudan, and Jebel Marra Mountains in western Sudan.
For more information on tourism, please follow the link:
www.sudan.net/travel.
Major Newspapers/Magazine/TV Channels
with contact details
Arabic dailies:
1. Al Rai Al Aam (Telefax: +249-1-83772176, 83783279
Email: info@rayaam.net, Website:
www.rayamm.net
2. Al Ayyam (Tel: +249-1-83782677, Fax:
83782689,
Website: www.alayaam.net
3. Akhbar Al Yom (Tel: +249-1-83775752,
83789829, Fax: 83774550)
English dailies:
1. Khartoum Monitor (Telefax:
+249-183-83485521)
2. Sudan Vision (Telefax: +249-1-83571700, 83571702); Email:
sudanvision@yahoo.co.uk Website:
www.sudanvisiondaily.com)
Sudan Television
Sudan Television, Omdurman (Tel: +249-1-87553538, 87552163, Fax:
87552163)
INDIA-SUDAN RELATIONS
Events/facts of particular historical
and cultural significance in relations between India and Sudan,
including date of establishment of diplomatic relations:
An Indian Liaison Office was set up in
Khartoum in April 1955, several months before Sudan’s independence on 01
January 1956.
Over 30,000 Sudanese have graduated from
Indian universities and several Sudanese girls are named Hind. This is
just some contemporary evidence of the warmth and goodwill that Sudanese
have for India. India-Sudan relations go back in history to the time of
the Nilotic and Indus Valley Civilzations. There is evidence of contacts
and possibly trade almost 5,000 years ago through Mesopotamia.
The ancient Kush kingdom of Sudan, just
south of the first Nile cataract (modern Aswan), reached its apogee some
2,000 years ago. Its pre-eminent deity Apedemak, associated with war, is
depicted in the famous temples of Naqa (30 km east of the Nile) as a
triple headed god emerging from a lotus. Some archaeologists claim
Indian influence through the ancient Red Sea port of Adulis! By the end
of the 12th century, there is evidence of trade via the Red Sea between
India and the ancient Nubian kingdoms of Sudan. Visiting Sudan in the
16th century, famous spiritual leader Tajuddin Al Buhari stayed with the
renowned al-Hindi family of Sufis originally from India (the al-Hindis
are a leading political family in Sudan).
By 1699, Sennar, the capital of the Black
Funj Sultanate, traded extensively with India through Suakin Port, and
many rich women in the court could be seen wearing silk, silver rings
and ringlets and heavy kohl make up. In the 18th century, Indian
merchants regularly visited the major market town of Shendi (infamous as
the centre of the slave trade) northeast of Khartoum to buy the leather,
gold, wood and animals (camels and horses) of the south and sell spices,
sandalwood (still hugely popular in Sudan) and medicines.
The pastoral Beja, some 5% of Sudan’s
population, are a Hamitic people, one of Sudan’s oldest groups.
Immortalized for their martial spirit by Rudyard Kipling as the “fuzzy
wuzzies” for their shock of curly hair, the Bejas claim origin from
India. Their language, spoken from the chest (heart) rather than from
the lips, could be related to ancient Prakrit.
The 2,000-strong settled Indian community
in Sudan is about 150 years young. The first Indian Luvchand Amarchand
Shah, a Gujarati trader who imported goods from India, is believed to
have come to Sudan from Aden in the early 1860s. When his business
expanded, he brought his relatives from Saurashtra, who in turn invited
their own friends and family. This is how the Indian community grew and
developed in Sudan. Form the small towns in the eastern part of the
country, (Port Sudan and Suakin) the early Indian pioneers moved into
the interior of the country and settled down in Omdurman, Kassala,
Gedaref and Wad Medani.
Two famous steel suspension rail bridges
in Khartoum and Atbara were imported from India in the first decade of
the last century and are still in use. Sudan’s forestry sector was
developed by Indian experts from 1900.
The first Sudanese Parliamentary elections
in 1953 were conducted by Shri Sukumar Sen, India’s Chief Election
Commissioner (the Sudanese Election Commission, formed in 1957, drew
heavily on Indian election literature and laws). A Sudanization
Committee established in February 1954 to replace British officials
finished its work in April 1955 with budgetary support from India for
compensation payments. In April
1955, the interim Prime Minister of the Sudan Ismail Al Azhari and
several Ministers transited through New Delhi on their way to Bandung
for the first Afro-Asian Relations Conference.
At the 1955 Bandung Conference, the
delegation from a still not independent Sudan did not have a flag to
mark its place. Taking out his handkerchief, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote
“Sudan” on it, thus reserving a place for Sudan in the international
community.
Political Relations:
India and Sudan have maintained cordial and friendly relations since
its independence in 1956. A Sudan Block in India’s National Defence
Academy in Khadakvasla is evidence of this.
The two countries share perceptions on
issues such as non-alignment, South-South cooperation and respect for
national sovereignty.
Bilateral relations were boosted with the
historic visit of Rashtrapatiji to Sudan in October 2003 and the entry
of OVL in Sudan’s oil sector in March 2003. Institutional frameworks
such as the Joint Ministerial Commission and Foreign Office
Consultations have been set up.
Important Bilateral Treaties and
Agreements:
1. Cultural Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Democratic
Republic of the Sudan
2. Agreement on Economic, Technical and
Scientific Co-operation between the Government of India and the
Government of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan
3. Protocol for Science & Technology
Co-operation
4. Agreement between the Government of the
Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for
the creation of the Indo- Sudanese Joint Committee for Economic,
Technical, Commercial, Information, Political, Trade and Cultural
Co-operation
5. MOU in the field of Health Co-operation
6. Trade and Economic Co-operation
Agreement
7. Agreement on the Establishment of Joint
Business Council between the Sudanese Businessmen General Federation and
FICCI
8. Agreement for co-operation in the field
of development of Small Scale Enterprises sector in Sudan
9. Protocol on Co-operation in the field
of Radio and Television between Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation
of India) and Sudanese Radio and Television
10. MOU on Consultations between the
Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ministry of External
Relations of the Republic of the Sudan
11. Agreement between the Foreign Service
Institute of India and the National Centre for Diplomatic Studies,
Ministry of External Relations of Sudan
12. Agreement between PTI and Sudan News
Agency (SUNA) for mutual professional co-operation
13. Cultural Exchange Programme between
India and the Republic of Sudan
14. MOU between the Sudanese Civil
Aviation Authority and the Airport Authority of India
15. Memorandum of Understanding Between
CII and Sudanese Chamber of Industries Association (SCIA)
16. Agreement on Cooperation in Science
and Technology
17. MoU on Cooperation in Agricultural
Research and Education
18. MoU on Cooperation in the field of
Agriculture and Allied Sectors
19. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
20. Bilateral Investment Promotion and
Protection Agreement (BIPPA)
21. News Provider Agreement between Sudan
News Agency (SUNA) and IANS (India Abroad News Service)
22. MoU between Exim Bank and Industry
Development Bank of Sudan for project investment in Sudan
23. Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced
Persons (under negotiation)
24. Extradition Treaty (under negotiation)
25. Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance
(under negotiation)
Bilateral visits – Brief details of
important two-way visits:
India to Sudan:
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957
(ii) Vice President Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963
(iii) President Fakruddin
Ali Ahmed in 1975,
(iv) MOS External Affairs Shri Ajit Panja in April
2000,
(v) MOS Commerce and Industry Shri Omar Abdullah in February 2001
(vi) MOS Commerce and Industry Shri Rajiv P. Rudy in January 2002
(vii)
Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Dr. (Mrs.) Najma Heptulla in
January-February 2002
(viii) President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam paid a state
visit to Sudan in October 2003
(ix) Shri E. Ahamed, Minister of State
for External Affairs in November 2005
(x) Shri Sontosh Mohan Deb,
Minister of Heavy Industries in February 2006
(xi) Shri E. Ahamed
Minister of State for External Affairs in March 2006.
Sudan to India:
Prime Minister of interim government
Ismail El Azhari in 1955
(ii) Ismail El Azhari as President in 1967
(iii) President Jaffar Nimeiri in 1974
(iv) Foreign Minister Ali Osman
Mohamed Taha (presently the Second Vice President) in 1995 and again in
April 1997
(v) MOS Foreign Affairs Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail in November
1997
(vi) Minister of Transport Dr. Lam Akol in December 1998
(vii) A
3-member Parliamentary delegation led by Dr. Salah Eldin Mirghani,
Chairman, Federal Relations Committee of the Sudanese National Assembly
in
October 1998
(viii) Minister of Animal Wealth Joseph Malawal in June
1998
(ix) President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir’s transit visit in July
1999 and again in July 200
(x) Prof. Alzubair Basir Taha Minister for
Science and Technology in March 2002
(xi) First Vice President Ali Osman
Mohammed Taha accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of
Agriculture and Forestry and Minister of Science and Technology
transited in July 2002
(xii) Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly
Prof. Ahmd Ibrahim al-Tahir in January 2003 to participate in the
celebrations of the 50th anniversary of India’s Parliament
(xiii)
Minister of Energy & Mining Dr. Awad Ahmed Al Jaz in December 2003 and
again in 2006
(xiv) Minister of National Defence Maj. Gen. Bakri Hassan
Salih in December 2003,
(xv) Minister of Transport Alsamani Alwasila in
December 2003
(xvi) Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Abdul Raheem Mohammed
Hussain in January 2005
(xvii) Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail in June
2005
(xviii) Minister of Agriculture & Forestry Mohamed Alamin Kabashi
Eisa in June 2006.
Commercial and Economic Relations, with
trade, aid and investment details:
India supplies manufactured goods,
machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, wheat, textiles, etc. India sources raw
hides and skins, cotton, leather, ores and metal scrap.
Although there are over 100 companies with
Indian capital in Sudan, bilateral economic relations reached an
inflection point in 2003 with India’s decision to invest US$ 750 million
in the oil sector. ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) acquired 25% of the shares
of Sudan’s biggest oil consortium Greater Nile Petroleum Operating
Company (GNPOC). On May 12, 2004, OVL acquired another 26 % and 24.5 %
stakes in Blocks 5A and 5B from OMV of Austria for US$ 115 million
raising India’s cumulative investment to over US$ 1.5 billion. OVL also
funded and built a 741 km multiproduct pipeline project (US$ 194 mn)
from Khartoum Refinery to Port Sudan Export Terminal. Completed in
August 2005 two months ahead of schedule, it was formally dedicated to
the nation in December 2005.
Since 2002, India Sudan bilateral trade
has more than doubled. India is the 6th largest exporter of commodities
to Sudan after Saudi Arabia, China, UAE, Germany and United Kingdom.
India is everywhere in Sudan through the ubiquitous Bajaj
auto-rickshaws, found in all towns and cities. Bilateral economic
relations reached an inflection point in 2003 with India’s decision to
invest upwards of US$ one billion in the oil sector. The entry of Maruti
cars in July 2006 and the return of Tata buses and trucks in August 2006
have increased Brand India visibility.
Several Indian companies are now active in
Sudan including TCIL, ITI Limited, RITES, BEL, IRCON, BHEL, Progressive
Construction Ltd, Kirloskar Brothers, Kalpataru Power, Mohan Exports,
Jaguar Industries, Angelique International and L&T. The first batch of
1,150 Maruti vehicles (Zen and 800 cc) came on the road in July 2006.
The Embassy of India has commissioned
market surveys in automobile components, agricultural equipment,
Information Technology, leather products, pharmaceuticals, steel sector.
These are available free to Indian companies on request. More market
surveys are being commissioned.
Sudanese leaders at every level have
talked about their “preference” for India as a development partner. To
give a sustained focus to India-Sudan trade relations and achieve 100%
annual growth, the Mission has a non-exclusive five-plus-one
commercial policy since October 2005. The five priority sectors in which
India can respond to Sudan’s developmental requirements are
infrastructure (including transport), agriculture, human resource
development, information & communications technologies, and small &
medium industries. The “plus-one” is commercially viable investment in
the energy sector (oil, electricity, gas). To achieve this, the Embassy
has formulated a Target and Introduce Programme (TIP) under which one
new Indian product is introduced every semester.
Enterprise India Advantage Sudan, the
first ever exclusive exhibition of Indian products and technologies
relevant to Sudan’s developmental needs, was held in Khartoum over five
days in August 2006 and business worth over US$ 100 mn was discussed.
(In US$ m)
YEAR
INDIA’S EXPORTS
INDIA’S IMPORTS
2000
77.54
5.46
2001
87.72
9.24
2002
104.62
5.93
2003
115.96
33.17
2004
197.10
27.90
2005
317.84
30.77
Chairs in Universities on Indian
Studies, South Asian Studies, etc., and vice versa in Indian
Universities, relevant Area Studies’ Centres in the two countries:
1. Institute of Afro-Asian Studies,
University of Khartoum
2. Department of African Studies, Sudan
Unit, University of Delhi
ITEC Assistance and programmes:
Sudan is a major beneficiary under the
ITEC Programme. From 35 seats in 2002-03, Sudan now has 100 ITEC slots
annually, apart from several scholarships offered by the Indian Council
for Cultural Relations.
Other Indian training/ assistance
schemes
Sudanese diplomats have been frequently
attending the Foreign Service Institute’s course for Foreign Diplomats.
Details of Indian Credit Lines/Official
Assistance:
India extended a line of credit of US $ 120 million in 1980, disbursed
in 1982 (still to be repaid). Following the Line of Credit of US$ 50 mn
offered during Rashtrapatiji’s October 2003 visit (as well as medicines
worth US$ 50,000 for the flood-affected Kassala region), at the April
2005 Oslo donor’s conference, India announced a grant of US$ 10 million
and a further concessional line of credit of US$ 100 million. The
details are being worked out. Exim bank approved a loan of US$ 41.9 mn
for the Singa-Gedaref transmission line and substation in January 2006.
On 11 February 2006, BHEL signed a contract with the National
Electricity Corporation for US$ 457 mn 125 x 4 MW Kosti Power Project
(partly funded by a US$ 350 mn Exim Bank
concessional loan), the largest single electricity project in Sudan.
India offered 20,000 tons of wheat as
humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur in March 2005. In April
2006, India’s Ministry of Nonconventional Energy Sources funded a solar
electrification system (implemented by Central Electronics Ltd) for
Khadarab village about two hours from Khartoum, bringing light for the
first time into the lives of some 2,000 villagers.
In February 2006, BHEL signed an agreement
for the US$ 457 mn 4 x 125 MW Kosti thermal power plant (the single
largest power project in Sudan) part financed by a US$ 350 mn EXIM loan.
Discussions for Indian financing for the
203 KM US$ 252 mn Port Sudan-Haiya railway link (to be done by IRCON)
are at an advanced stage.
EXIM Bank is also funding a couple of
large projects in Sudan in electric transmission and cement.
Cultural Troupes – Incoming & Outgoing
over last few years:
An 18-member folk art music & dance troupe
from Sudan visited India in March 2002 and a Modern Music troupe in
December 2005.
Student Exchange Programmes, etc:
Under the Cultural Exchange Programme and
ICCR General Cultural Scholarship Scheme, Sudan has 11 slots for Post
Graduate and 5 slots for Research scholarships.
Important streets, public places named
after Indian leaders:
Mahatma Gandhi Road in Omdurman
Types of visas issued, and visa details
for officials, students, business people, tourists, etc. from India.
Diplomatic & official visas are granted
Gratis. Business visas are difficult to obtain. The applicant should
submit a letter from the Chamber of Commerce of the state of the
applicant. For other visas, a sponsor in Sudan should obtain approval
from the Ministry of Interior and then send it to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Sudan, who fax the same direct to the Embassy in
New Delhi. For temporary residence and work in Sudan for work, a work
permit and a letter the Employer are required. For Student visas,
acceptance from a University or an Institute of Learning must be
enclosed.
Air links with India/Convenient Travel
Routes.
There is no direct India-Sudan flight.
Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Emirates, Air Arabia, Ittehad (Sharjah-based)
have regular flights connecting to/from India through destinations like
Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai etc. Ethiopian Airlines connects Mumbai
with Khartoum through Addis Ababa. Delhi-Jeddah-Khartoum is another
route in which Delhi-Jeddah sector is served by Air India.
Addresses of Branch offices of other
Indian Government and Public Sector organisations, Chambers of Commerce
etc.
ONGC Nile Ganga B.V.
P.O. Box 10797, 7th Floor, AAAID Building
Plot no. 2/1, Block 9/E, Khartoum
Tel 00249 1 83790815/16
Fax 00249 1 83790814
Link to Embassy and Consulate websites
Indian Embassy in Sudan –
www.indembsdn.com
Estimated NRI/PIO population
Approximately 10,000 (including some 3,000
Indian military personnel serving in the United Nations Mission in
Sudan)
Important NRI/PIO Associations and
their contact details
1. Omdurman Indian Community, P.O. Box
504, Omdurman [Mr. Mahesh A. Sheth,
President, Tel.: +249-1-87555652, Fax: 87558073, Email: smbavishi@hotmail.com]
2. India-Sudan Friendship Society, P.O. Box 8287, Khartoum [Mr. Arif
Khan,
President, Telefax: +249-183-461749, Fax: 83462425
Email:neelestar@sudanmail.net]
NRIs/PIOs holding significant public
offices.
The PIOs in Sudan are traditionally a
trading community and have not achieved any public office. The
expatriate Indians work in the private sector.
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