Khartoum-Darfur 24
Everyday except Friday, dozen of customers lineup in front of banks and money exchange , spending long hours waiting to receive money transferred from abroad
Mohammad al-Amin told Darfur 24, he had come since five in the morning, to register his name, so that he could receive the money transfered to him from Saudi Arabia, adding that more than 6 hours had passed and we were still waiting in a long line, no one knew the reason for the delay,” the money exchange management refuses to speak with client”
The Central Bank of Sudan SBOS had eariler announced that bank money transfers had been resumed with international institutions and organizations, following the removal of Sudan’s name from the US terrorism list.
In late February, SBOS issued new decisions that allowed raising the exchange rate of the pound against the US dollar to 375pounds to attract foreign remittances to banking channels, in an effort to dry up the black market.
Thousands of Sudanese abroad interacted with the hashtag (transfer your money via_bank) launched by activists on social networking sites.
Muhammad Sanhouri narrated his experience with the money transfer through money exchange , where he said, For years his sister sent the family’s expenses through the parallel market, and he kept getting the money in a smooth and easy way, adding that when his sister started sending it via the official channel , the suffering began.
Early this month, the Sudanese government announced 24 incentives to encourage expatriates to transfer their money through official channels.
The Secretary-General of the Organization for the Regulation of Sudanese Affairs Abroad, McCain Hamed, revealed the cancellation of all contributions and fees imposed on expatriates , finding ways to settle the arrears and replacing them with a unified fee paid in hard currency, indicating the establishment of a commission for expatriates and a fund to support their return.
The official also announced the amendment of the conditions and controls for excluding the entry of cars for expatriates and immigrants, by granting the entry of the car without restriction to the final return of those who have exceeded 10 years, to be paid in hard currency, while it is granted to those whose expatriation period is less than 10 years and more than 5 years on the condition of final return.
According to the Expatriate Authority, expatriate remittances are estimated at about $ 6 billion annually, and experts ’opinions differ about the step, with some seeing that the approval of incentives encourages expatriates to transfer their money through official methods, especially after the exchange rate liberalization.
While others see that banks and money Exchanges are not technically prepared in dealing with external transfers, pointing out to the obstruction and confusion that occurred in the first week of the pound floatation, as many customers complained of slow and delayed operations in receiving money.
It’s worth noting that the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Minister of Finance made a surprise visit to a bank at the backdrop of complaints raised by some customers..
Some experts have pointed out that restructuring the banking system and laying down new laws is the main guarantor for the flow of banking operations with international banks, especially after Sudan’s absence for decades of global banking dealings that are renewed and constantly changing.