KHARTOUM, Sudan – The West has been trying to bring about a crisis in Sudan for a long time, since current President Omar al-Bashir has never been advantageous to it – giving the West chance, the country will be further divided, just as has happened in Somalia, an expert said.

According to a professor at the Eastern Faculty of St Petersburg State University Igor Gerasimov, Sudan has been facing sanctions for decades. And while US President Donald Trump has promised to cancel them, they remain in place, the expert said.

“The economic situation is such that while Sudan is a very promising country in terms of economy, agriculture and transport, it has developed very little and the financial system has barely worked due to the blockade by the West,” said Gerasimov.

According to the expert, the current administration also took some careless steps that did not meet the interests of the people. For Gerasimov, the worst scenario for Sudan would be if the West continued to divide it, which would lead to a situation similar to that of Somalia, which now has several governments.

On March 11, the Sudanese Army decided to remove President Omar al-Bashir from all positions and dismiss the government. According to the media, the president was arrested. Thousands of people have been on the streets of the Sudanese capital over the weekend, demanding the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power for 30 years.

His presidential palace in Khartoum also caught on fire on Saturday.

Videos posted on social networks showed the building, which was not being used by the presidency, on fire and covered by a large cloud of smoke.

Protests against Bashir were sparked by the severe economic crisis of years that worsened with the secession of South Sudan in 2011. Sudan is among the 25 poorest nations in the world.