IBM in Sudan

We have heard that Exxon, Citibank and some other American companies did have their offices and establishments in Sudan. Well that must have been before the US sanctions were imposed in Sudan since 1997. However we do have a few American products available in the market. I can vouch for the medicines and other healthcare products which are available from American multinational companies. There runs a joke in Sudan particularly among the Expatriate communities which says that IBM the American International Business Machines Corporation will never open shop in Sudan. This is because IBM also stands for InshAllah, Bukra and Malish (IBM) which are perhaps the reasons why business may take a back seat in Sudan. This is certainly a myth because if one notices the monitors at the cash counters in Afra Mall in Khartoum one will notice the IBM logo, as captured in this photo. Eid Mubarak.