Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is under fire for pursuing investment in Sudan, which is accused of being rife with corruption and human rights violations. Campaigners say the UK is lowering standards in a bid to reconnect with former colonies as a strategy post-Brexit.
The UK-Sudan trade and investment forum, due to take place in London on Tuesday, marks the African nation’s first global investment summit and the first to be held in Europe since the US lifted sanctions in October. It will be hosted by the trade organization Developing Market Associates, under the instruction of the Sudanese government, and is billed as an “opportunity for foreign investors and businesses to obtain first-hand information on the country’s latest development and investment opportunities in key sectors.”
The agenda includes a welcome speech from the British ambassador to Sudan, Michael Aron, and a keynote address from a “UK government representative.” A Sudanese delegation will attend, and the country’s foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, will also speak.
The event marks a significant U-turn on the UK’s stated position on Sudan, according to Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas. After concerns were raised by some of her Sudanese constituents, she and other MPs wrote to Johnson warning him against pursuing a trade relationship with Sudan.
“Previously the government has made it clear that it doesn’t pursue pro-active trade opportunities with Sudan and is very aware of its low ranking on the corruption index,” Lucas said, according to the Guardian. “Looking at the agenda it appears to have left that policy behind – even with President Omar al-Bashir being subject to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for numerous human rights violations.”
“This sends out really dangerous signals in terms of giving the impression Sudan has reformed itself and is a partner in negotiations. It also cuts across the so-called Ruggie principles [named after the former UN secretary general for business and human rights, John Ruggie] around human rights when it comes to business operations.”
Sudan ranks joint 170th with Yemen, Syria and Libya out of 176 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index. Only North Korea, South Sudan and Somalia are ranked lower. Critics say the forum sends out the wrong message to potential investors who say they should remain wary of corruption.
An earlier draft agenda for the event included the logo of the British Foreign Office, which has since been removed and replaced with a logo of the British Embassy in Khartoum, according to the Guardian. The original billing also featured Conservative peer Baroness Fairhead, a minister in the Department for International Trade, and Chris Trott, the UK special representative for Sudan and South Sudan as speakers. Tory MP and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Sudan and South Sudan, Henry Bellingham, and Labour peer Lord Hain were listed as chairing sessions. All four names were absent from the revised agenda.
A British government spokeswoman told the newspaper: “The UK-Sudan trade and investment forum has been organized by a private company and has not been arranged or hosted by the UK government. We continue to press the government of Sudan to make progress on the peace process and improve the human rights situation to create a more conducive business environment. As part of this engagement, the UK will consider opportunities to promote trade with Sudan, as trade can help to open up closed off political and economic systems.”