Several clients of the Bank of Khartoum from the Darfur region have accused the bank of making unauthorized withdrawals from their accounts in Nyala, Al-Daein, Zalingei, and Al-Geneina without prior notification.
Mohammed Adam Ali Ahmed from Nyala told Radio Tamazuj that 17 clients in Nyala had their accounts debited without consent, with amounts ranging from 200,000 to 700,000 Sudanese Pounds per account.
“On 23 May, I was shocked to find 200,000 Sudanese Pounds withdrawn from my account and upon inquiry, I discovered that many of my acquaintances were facing the same issue,” he said.
Ali revealed that they had appointed a representative in Port Sudan to meet with the bank’s management. The bank justified the withdrawals by informing the clients that such actions were based on requests from the Public Prosecutor. He said the bank’s management advised the affected clients to visit the Port Sudan branch for further clarification.
“How can we undertake a long, arduous, and financially burdensome journey to Port Sudan to file a complaint about a 200,000 Sudanese Pound withdrawal?” he asked.
According to Ali, the targeted accounts were those opened in the Bank of Khartoum branches in Nyala, Al-Daein, Zalingei, and Al-Geneina.
Another client of the Bank of Khartoum’s Omdurman Industrial Branch, Ahmed Hamid Abdelrahman Azraq, reported that 850,000 Sudanese Pounds were withdrawn from his account on 25 May.
“Upon reviewing my previous transactions, I found no record of having authorized such a transfer,” he stated. “I noted that this issue had recurred among my associates multiple times and we demand that the bank address the clients’ complaints and halt unauthorized withdrawals.”
For her part, Aisha Al-Majdi, a journalist renowned for her support of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), used her social media handle to accuse the Bank of Khartoum of making unsanctioned withdrawals based on geographical locations, describing the process as theft and an unjust seizure of people’s money.
In response, a Bank of Khartoum manager denied that the withdrawals were conducted as reported, explaining that typically, such actions are taken based on a complaint filed by an individual against the account, leading the bank to withhold the funds until the issue is resolved.
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