Counterfeit currency circulates in Zalingei, Central Darfur

Fake Sudanese Pound notes are in circulation in Zalingi, the capital of Central Darfur State, according to local residents and experts. The suspicious currencies do not have serial numbers.

Fake Sudanese Pound notes are in circulation in Zalingi, the capital of Central Darfur State, according to local residents and experts. The suspicious currencies do not have serial numbers.

Banking expert Mosa’ab Nasr Al-Din told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the currencies found their way into circulation during the war. He suggests that they could have been withdrawn during the final stages of printing before being supplied with serial numbers.

“The circulation of these denominations is more dangerous than counterfeit banknotes because they are legally valid by 80 percent and lack only the serial number, making them difficult to detect,” he said.

Mosa’ab further said denominations without serial numbers are worthless, as they have not completed their full printing cycle and are thus considered outside the banking system. He urged citizens to destroy them to avoid their legal or economic consequences.

Meanwhile, banking expert Abdullah Ahmed explained that various forms of currency counterfeiting can sometimes be difficult for ordinary citizens to detect. 

According to Abdullah, the currency is a mixture of recognizable materials and metals with a serial number. 

Abdullah said, “The current counterfeiting comes in the context of the current war repercussions, where the Central Bank of Sudan previously published detailed information with each issued denomination, explaining its details and distinctive features, allowing traders to easily detect counterfeiting.”

“However, the current war has affected the appearance and safety of currency circulation, exacerbating counterfeiting crimes, which will have serious consequences on the Sudanese economy through inflation,” he added.

Academic Ahmed Salih noted that this phenomenon is widespread in other areas, where some Sudanese pound denominations without serial numbers have become common.

Salih emphasized that these currencies would affect the Sudanese currency. Despite their limited quantity, Salih stressed the need to raise awareness about them to contain their circulation and minimize their trading among the public.

Salwa Ibrahim, a resident of Zalingei, said that the circulated amounts are devoid of serial numbers and were circulated for a period before citizens discovered their damage. Salwa revealed that she had received money earlier containing counterfeit 200-pound denominations. 

Additionally, she pointed out that several traders were victims of this counterfeit currency before realizing it recently.

However, Ahmed Minawi, a member of the security committee in Central Darfur State, downplayed the scale of the problem, saying that this currency may have leaked during confrontations in the currency minting area. 

“Some individuals took some defective denominations during that period and circulated them within a limited framework, but it was soon discovered that they were incomplete and no longer posed any significant security threat,” he concluded.