The Sudanese Rapid Forces give their version of the story on Managem’s seized gold

After Sudanese authorities announced that they have grounded a plane laden with gold belonging to Moroccan company Managem, Thursday, the army brought a different version of the story.

Quoted by British news agency Reuters reported, Friday, the Sudanese Rapid Forces said that they have prevented a helicopter, laden with 241 kg of gold belonging to the Moroccan company and which landed in Khartoum from flying as part of an investigation.

General Othman Mohamed told reporters that «only 93 kilograms of this gold have an export permit». «The situation of the remaining 148 kilograms of gold is still unclear», he added.

The Sudanese officer noted that it is his «duty to transfer this amount to the Sudanese Central Bank which will be carrying out the legal procedure».

For the record, a source at the Sudanese ministry of Energy in Khartoum rejected the Rapid Support Forces mentioning a «hijacking» on Thursday. A statement from the latter explained that «the aircraft was not allowed to fly» and that under the former regime, the Department of Economic Security used to deliver the necessary authorizations to transport minerals but that the Rapid Support Forces were entrusted with such a task from there on.

In its statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Energy indicated that the ban on the Moroccan plane was due to a lack of «prior coordination with the current safety measures». The statement also praised Managem by describing it as : «a large company that uses advanced French mining techniques and has several subsidiaries in African countries».

Since the Al Bashir regime fell on April 11, Sudan is going through instability. For the record, in 2013, Managem and the Sudanese government formed a joint venture for the exploitation of the Gabgaba gold mine.