Sudan’s manna from heaven and strategic weapon
Friday, July 11th, 2008Alain Navarro; 10/6/08
In Sudan, gum arabic is “manna” from heaven and a key ingredient in iconic brands of globalisation despite US sanctions on this African country listed as a state sponsor of terror in Washington. Hands covered in balls of see-through resin, Issam Siddig is categorical: Gum arabic is the food which both the Bible and the Koran say fell from heaven to save the Israelites from starvation during their sojourn in the Sinai Desert. “Manna, it’s the bread of heaven. Allah expelled Adam and Eve from paradise to Darfur, giving them manna to survive,” said the boss of Mannafibre Company. For him the acacia sap is a “pure miracle”. In Saharan Africa, the gum grows west to east, from Senegal to Somalia. Sudan is the world powerhouse of “manna”, providing more than half the total and the best variety, known as Hashab.
