WikiLeaks cable in 2010 revealed US officials anticipated public anger at Bashir

With the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London coming the same day as reports of Omar Bashir’s removal as President of Sudan, it’s worth noting the role that cables leaked by WikiLeaks had in exposing the corruption at the heart of Bashir’s administration.

In 2010, a set of released US diplomatic cables revealed that the president had siphoned as much as $9bn out of Sudan and stashed it in London banks.

One senior US official appeared to indicate that if the extent of Bashir’s embezzlement were known, it could destroy much of the public’s trust in his administration.

“Ocampo suggested if Bashir’s stash of money were disclosed (he put the figure at possibly $9 billion), it would change Sudanese public opinion from him being a “crusader” to that of a thief,” he said, referring to International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. “Ocampo reported Lloyds bank in London may be holding or knowledgeable of the whereabouts of his money.”

“Ocampo suggested exposing Bashir had illegal accounts would be enough to turn the Sudanese against him.”