Sudani's bloc rejects lawmaker's claim Iraq extended new African loans

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, aligned with former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, issued a written statement rejecting claims that Sudani's government extended credit to African countries. The coalition said the remarks by lawmaker Mohammed al-Shammari do not reflect the facts and that the loans in question were issued during the 1970s and 1980s under previous administrations. According to the coalition, the former regime directed oil shipments and loans to Arab, African and Asian countries for political purposes, with lending expanding after the wars that began in the early 1980s. The credits qualify as sovereign debt owed to Iraq, the statement said, and are managed by the Foreign Development Fund within the Ministry of Finance under applicable national and international law. The coalition provided specific figures: approximately $187 million in loans to Tanzania signed on December 19, 1979 and February 9, 1980; roughly $15 million to Uganda on March 7, 1981; and around $7 million to the Central African Republic on November 19, 1984. It said these amounts, including principal, interest and late fees, have been updated through the end of 2024. The statement added that throughout Sudani's tenure, the Council of Ministers did not approve any reduction or cancellation of the sovereign debt, and instructed the Ministry of Finance and the relevant fund and commission to continue collecting it within the legal framework. The coalition said it reserves the right to take legal action against those disseminating misleading information.