A different point of vieuw given by Indias interrest in the regio. This is what Sudan has in common with the netherlands: so many people so many opinions. A positive or negative story will depent on who you ask.
INDIA’S INTEREST IN SUDAN
General
1. Geo Political Importance of Sudan. Napoleon said ‘The foreign policy of a country is determined by its geography’. Modern Sudanese history owes much to Napoleon. Area wise, Sudan is the largest nation in Africa. With a population of 33 million it is rich in agricultural, forest and mineral resources. The famed long-stapled Egyptian cotton is originally from the Gazeira district, south of the capital Khartoum. In taking a long-term approach to developing relations with Africa, India needs to look not just at South Africa but also at geo-politically crucial Sudan. The length of Sudan's borders is 7,687 kilometers. The bordering countries are:
CAR - 1165 km Chad - 1360 km DRC - 628 km Egypt - 1273 km Eritrea - 605 km
Ethiopia - 1606 km Kenya - 234 km Libya - 383 km Uganda - 435 km
2. Interestingly, Washington has kept a scrupulously correct distance from any involvement in the insurgency problems of Sudan. This is despite the fact that it views Sudan as a strategically important nation, both as protector of the southern flank of Egypt its primary Arab ally, and as a possible staging ground for any military operations mounted to protect the Middle East's oil fields. However, the same has not been the case with the Chinese. Both India and China are emerging economies. It is against this background that India’s interests are to be viewed in Sudan.
China’s Involvement in Sudan
3. Oil. China’s need for oil reserves for its growing domestic economy has caused its government to pursue investments in many countries of marginal stability and democracy, but its greatest oil success abroad has been in Sudan. China has distinct economic interest in Sudan as it imports seven percent of its crude oil from this country. China is present in Sudan through its National Petroleum Company in both exploration and the development areas along with Petronas of Malaysia. It will be quite relevant to see how China has been playing a proactive role in Sudan's development efforts. During about 45 years of Sudan's post-independence era, China has expanded its political and economic presence irrespective of the nature of the regime in Khartoum — autocratic or democratic.
4. Arms. Barring oil, China sees Africa as a lucrative market for its arm trade and Sudan in particular provides greatest opportunity for its arms market. Sudan’s arm forces have the strongest Chinese colour in this region. Even Ken Bacon of ‘Refugees International’ spotted evidence of Chinese weapons in Darfur conflict. China was not new to Sudan. By the time it invested in GNPOC in December 1996, it was already a familiar arms dealer to many Sudanese governments. The Nimeiri government (1969-85) bought weapons from China. But these purchases rose in the 1990s due to Sudan’s internal war and the promise of improved finances and enhanced international credit derived from its oil potential. Weapons deliveries from China to Sudan since 1995 have included ammunition, tanks, helicopters, and fighter aircrafts.
5. Infrastructure Development. Over a period of time, Chinese presence in the construction and development industry in Sudan and its contribution in the day to day requirements of common citizens of the country has grown significantly. There is a influx of “Made in China” brands across the entire country giving an idea of how quickly, crucially and significantly its role has manifested in the economy of the country.
Indian Perspective
6. Sudan had a high-profile relationship with India in the past. However, not much attention was being given by India to utilize the opportunity for being a partner in developing Sudan as such and in the bargain, enhance its presence in the African region. The decision to invest in Sudan's oil project has been the beginning of a more proactive Indian policy in a strategically crucial region.
7. Oil. The Sudanese Government identified 15 blocks for exploration and production with the aim of rapidly developing its nascent petroleum sector. The largest and most important of these — the UNITY and HEGLIG — are in the Al Muglad basin, some 800 km South West of Khartoum. The Muglad basin measures 1,200 km x 300 km with sediments reaching a depth of 16,000 m. The Melut basin, with an area of 65,000 sq km and a sedimentary thickness of up to 13,700 m, is still grossly under-explored. The third system — Blue Nile basin — has a total area of 66,000 sq.km and a sedimentary cover of up to 9,144 m. The other prospective areas are in the country's North West, bordering Egypt and Libya as well as the Red Sea coast. ONGC Videsh Ltd has thus a tremendous opportunity in this area. Moreover, there are also huge quantities of natural gas, discovered in the coastal areas of the Red Sea region bordering oil-rich Saudi Arabia. India is in talks with Sudan about increasing its energy interests there, the Indian government quoted in early Dec 09 of having invested more than $2.5 bn in the African state's oil over the past six years. The two governments also signed a deal in New Delhi to pave the way for increased oil production and exploration and infrastructure development.
8. Railways. As part of its attempt to help energy firms secure assets in oil-rich Sudan, state-owned Ircon International Ltd is assisting in developing a 180km rail link from Khartoum to Al-Masala-Mian through a soft loan extended by the Union government.
9. Agriculture. In addition to its unexplored oil fields, another greatest natural asset of Sudan is the Nile River (confluence of White Nile that flows from Uganda and Blue Nile that flows from Ethiopia) before entering Egypt. The areas in vicinity have a tremendous potential of being developed as agricultural land. India has both, the technology and the means to assist Sudan in this sector.
10. Infrastructure Development. After two decades of civil war and severe conflict in the country, Sudan presents an ideal opportunity for investments in infrastructure development to include medical and healthcare facilities, communication networks, education system and industrial development.
11. Indian Trade and Exports to Sudan. India is the second largest exporter to Sudan. India is everywhere in Sudan through the ubiquitous Bajaj auto-rickshaws, scooters, Tata buses and trucks, pumps and pharmaceutical products (not to mention Indian films) found in all towns and cities. India and Sudan have signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding. Agreements on economic, technical and scientific cooperation and cultural cooperation were signed in November 1974. Other cooperation agreements include science and technology, avoidance of double taxation, promotion and protection of investments, agriculture, small and medium industries, foreign office consultations etc. Investments in and loans to Sudan are estimated to be upwards of US$ 3 bn. To give a sustained focus to India-Sudan trade relations, the commercial focus is a non-exclusive five-plus-one policy. The five priority sectors in which India can respond to Sudan’s developmental requirements are infrastructure, agriculture, human resource development, information & communications technologies, and small & medium industries. The “plus-one” is commercially viable investment in the energy and manufacturing sectors (oil, electricity, gas, pharmaceuticals, small and medium industry). Major Indian exports to Sudan consist of engineering goods, ready-made garments, textile yarns, drugs/pharmaceuticals, plastics & linoleum products, rice, paper & wood products, tea / coffee, cosmetics & toiletries, rubber products and other primary products; whereas Sudan's primary exports to India encompasses raw cotton, sugar, leather, organic chemicals, raw hide and skin, as well as oil seeds and pulses. India is the third partner of Sudan in oil industry after China and Malaysia. There is a chance of developing natural gas in the Red Sea. Medical tourism is another possibility for India as it gains a good reputation in the field of health care and medical treatment.
12. Human Resource Development. Human resource development is supported by 40-odd universities, training institutes and research centers. India, whose involvement in Sudan goes back to the 1950s when the latter gained Independence, can contribute in a significant manner for the further development of these resources. A large number of Sudanese nationals see India as a most favored destination for higher studies. India has already initiated steps in this direction. Sudan is a major beneficiary of the Indian technical and economic cooperation (ITEC) programme and over 150 Sudanese nationals train in India annually. India trains Sudanese diplomats at the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi and offers Graduate and Postgraduate scholarships. Over 20 Sudanese nationals are also given scholarships for higher studies in India. Over 30,000 Sudanese have graduated from Indian universities. About 5,000 Sudanese students study in India each year.
13. Indian Diaspora in Sudan. The settled Indian community in Sudan is about 150 years young. The first Indian, believed to be one Luvchand Amarchand Shah, a Gujarati trader who imported goods from India, probably came 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 families. The Indian community grew and developed from the small towns in the Eastern parts of the country (Port Sudan and Suwakin). The early Indian pioneers moved into the interior of the country and settled down in Omdurman, Kassala, Gedaraf 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. The presence of Indians who have now adopted Sudan as their first home is an advantage for India to further boost her presence in the country.
Indian Interests
14. South Sudan post Referendum. The genesis of conflict between North and South Sudan has been economic discrimination of South Sudan inspite of the fact that it has a large reserve of natural resources. In the post referendum scenario, it is envisaged that majority of Sudanese nationals will opt for a separate South Sudan as an independent country. And therefore it is pertinent for India to engage South Sudan in the developmental activities now. Some headway has already been made in that direction. Indian tractors and three wheelers are increasingly evident in South Sudan. India opened its Consulate General in Juba in October 2007, the first Asian country to do so. Keeping in view the post referendum scenario in South Sudan, there is an increasing scope for engaging it by having military cooperation to include provision of military hardware, training military personnel in India and possibly establishment of military training team for training the nascent army of South Sudan.
15. Critical Interest. Oil exploration and infrastructure development.
16. Vital Interest. Human resource development and military cooperation.
17. Peripheral Interest. Agriculture, communication and trade.
Conclusion
18. Indian interest in Sudan has grown significantly in recent years. This is reflected in India's increased trade and investments in Sudan. Two factors that have generated such interest and encouraged Indian engagement are the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 and the soaring economy. However, delay in the implementation of the peace deal and conflict in Western and Eastern Sudan pose serious challenges to the huge Indian interest. Lack of democracy and good governance has perpetuated the conflict and made peace unsustainable. Prolongation of such a situation is not in India's interest given its economic and energy stakes in Sudan. A prudent and proactive role on the part of India is necessary in order to address Sudan's concerns and challenges and thereby advance its growing interests in Sudan and African region. The post referendum scenario cannot be ignored and India needs to be proactively associated with all inclusive developmental activities in both North and South Sudan.
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