Following a statement from the Transitional Military Council (TMC) that the contract has been suspended pending cancellation, ICTSI said it has a “validly procured” concession contract.
“ICTSI has not received any official notice of suspension or cancellation from the Sudanese government at this time, and thus will reserve its official response on this matter until then,” said ICTSI.
The suspension of the contract, reported by Reuters, follows the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir on 11 April in a military coup, however, the Philippines-headquartered port management company said: “ICTSI has a validly procured concession contract that is recognised by both the previous government and the TMC.”
Progression of the contract was called into question when workers at Port Sudan’s southern container terminal undertook a protest in February against the 20-year concession for ICTSI subsidiary ICTSI Middle East DMCC to operate, manage and develop the terminal. In March, President Mr Bashir decided to review the deal to ensure it was fair after workers rallied against the “privatisation” of the port, which was managed by the government-controlled Sea Ports Corporation, however no action was taken while he was in power.
ICTSI said it would carry out the contract if the current military rulers accept the terms of the contract agreed with the previous government. It said it is willing to engage with the government if the latter seeks to update these terms.
Sudan has received €410m from ICTSI out of a €530m down payment, Ali Ahmed Abdelrahim, head of a technical committee in charge of contracting the project, said previously.
ICTSI stated that if the contract is cancelled, it will “fully cooperate” and seek to obtain a refund of the payment.