No, honest, that’s a sincere question. Why does the West impose sanctions on developing countries to put pressure on their dictators when these sanctions only hurt innocent individuals?

Going by recent history, first Iraq, then Libya, Syria and even ‘the darling of the West’ Egypt, all fell under outside pressures. All of these countries at one point or another were either sanctioned or threatened with sanctions. And in their efforts to lift those restrictions and remove their causes (the dictator and his regime) they fell into bloody civil unrest, and in some cases even war. And although the catalyst of that removal was Western injunctions, in each and every case the cost was innocent local lives.

The Sudan is now sanctioned and their current president, Omar Al-Bashir, is a wanted man.

Two years ago when the Arab Spring swept across much of North Africa it touched on Sudan but quickly collapsed. A year ago the streets of Khartoum saw some unrest that too did not overthrow Al-Bashir and shortly subsided. So what is it about him? What does he have that Gaddafi, Mubarak and now Assad didn’t and don’t possess?

Growing up in the Sudan I lived through three major military coups and escaped a fourth, the bloodiest of them all. The one that left my father with a bullet fragment embedded in his skull. By the way my dad was a civilian. He lived and worked happily for many years after that event with the fragment inside his head. He used to joke and call it his badge of honour – the envy of his military friends and colleagues including the then president, Jaafar Nimeiri.

Sudanese are patient resilient and very determined proud people. They don’t like it when outsiders meddle in their business and will stop at nothing to right a wrong and any injustice.

The current sanctions are causing scarcity of vital and lifesaving goods and products, deflation of the local currency, extreme high unemployment and up to 48% inflation. Al-Bashir has already stated this will be his last term and he will step down at the end of it – in around two years’ time. The whole country is readying itself for his departure and every political party is setting out its stall. Bloodless democracy is on its way to Sudan. Almost four years ago now, the South gained its long awaited independence and formed the country of South Sudan. So why is the West still putting pressure on the Sudan when only the innocent will suffer? Who will gain from the restrictions and their weight on ordinary people?

Like all living things the economy needs a regular health check and the correct treatment prescribed for the correct condition if and when it’s needed. To put it simply – popping an aspirin daily for a recurring headache that won’t shift is never a cure but a temporary pain relief – and no matter how many pills are taken or how strong the dosage is, it will never cure that headache.

In 2008 when the economic crisis first hit, Europe, the US and Britain, all took huge doses of aspirin to relief their headaches – but as we now know – those weren’t simple headaches and something more long term was needed to cure the pain. That’s why some countries are going back for more help, others are faltering in their progress and giant economies are crumbling before our own eyes!

As gloomy as it might seem, there is still an opportunity to do the right thing and that is to cut, cut, cut and cut some more. Sounds harsh, but throwing good money at a chronic problem, as we saw, will only give a temporary relief – same as using a high dose aspirin to cure a brain tumor. Not getting to the root of the problem a second time is unwise dangerous and extremely self-serving.

To use a simple example – take personal debt – monthly paying only the minimum payment of a large credit card bill will not clear it out (especially if the card is still being used) it will only reduce it slightly and pass the problem on – but paying the minimum plus a little more and using the card less (or not at all) will help clear the debt or leave a manageable balance to pass on.

Governments and nations’ debts are the same – pay big chunks now get more relief later – pay nothing or little now endure the pain for longer, Simples!