Emmanuel Macron, President of France, has reportedly announced plans to host African leaders and heads of global financial institutions for twin summit meetings. These meetings would focus on helping Sudan into a new democratic age and offering crucial financial backing to Africa, which has been struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic, as per reports.
The upcoming conference on Monday would evidently see several heads of state in attendance.
Reportedly, the event has been organized to show support for the Sudan government under Abdalla Hamdok as the Prime Minister in transition, after the ousting of long-standing head of state Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
A second summit has supposedly been arranged on Tuesday for African economies to attempt to bridge the financial gap of nearly $300 billion created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both meetings would be held at a temporary exhibition center under the Eiffel Tower. Macron will get an opportunity to represent himself as a statesman on Africa whose influence extends to non-French regions as well, claim reports.
The Tuesday event will reportedly include over twenty African heads of state to be one of the biggest in-person top level meetings conducted during the pandemic.
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda has also been scheduled for a visit to France as Paris has been pressing for reconciliation with Kigali, reports suggest. Paris’ efforts to reconcile have evidently been brought about by a historical report discussing France’s failure to prevent the genocide of 1994.
Hamdok reportedly said that ahead of the conference, he has been considering options for Sudan to clear its $60 billion foreign debt this year. Adding that the government aimed to accomplish this by securing investment deals and relief at the Paris conference.
Hamdok stated that investors would explore investment opportunities in Sudan at the Paris conference. Sudan apparently owes around 38% of its foreign debt, which includes major creditor nations, to the Paris Club, claim reliable sources.
Evidently, the Paris Club and the G20 have previously imposed a moratorium on the service of public debt, however, people now seek a moratorium on the service of all external debt until the pandemic ends.
Source credits: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210516-macron-hosts-africa-summits-on-sudan-post-covid-finance