Qatar using aid to serve own political interests in Sudan

Qatar uses the humanitarian aid it offers other countries to serve its own political interests.

In this, Sudan is no exception. Qatar used its humanitarian aid to occupy a position on the Sudanese political stage.

Qatar offers backing to civil society organizations in Sudan, charities and Islamist movements. The same organizations fomented the anger of the Sudanese people against ousted president Omar al-Bashir before the downfall of his regime in April last year.

Evils

A large number of Qatari charities operate in Sudan. Qatar Charity is one of these organizations. This organization does nothing but back groups that advocate Qatar's interests in Sudan.

Cloak

Humanitarian organizations have been using the aid they offer in achieving political goals since the early 1990s.

These organizations have tended to form or back political groups and parties that work to achieve the goals of donor states. Qatari and Iranian interference in the Arab region and Africa are cases in point.

The member states of the Arab Anti-Terrorism Quartet have previously designated Qatar Charity a "terrorist entity". The charity is one of the most outstanding humanitarian organizations in Qatar.

Projects

Qatar Charity offered funding to help poor Sudanese citizens launch small projects. It financed other projects for the resettlement of displaced people in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

However, most of these projects were used in serving Qatar's political interests in Sudan. This was why Sudanese authorities had to ban 24 organizations operating in Sudan. Most of these organizations were financed by Qatar.

Qatar did the same in African countries south of the Sahara. Qatar-funded organizations are active in Comoros Islands, Chad, Mauritania, Djibouti, Niger and Tunisia.

Influence

These Qatari efforts coincide with a decision by the Sudanese Transitional Council to close down the office of the Qatari news channel, al-Jazeera, in Khartoum.

The council did this after uncovering the role the Qatari channel plays to help the Muslim Brotherhood reach power in Sudan after the downfall of the Omar al-Bashir regime in April last year.