The Sudanese capital is in an economic boom. In 2008, the service sector developed considerably in Khartoum - offering an increasing number of expatriates and tourists who are passing through the capital a similar experience to that which they can expect back home.

But both the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the global financial crisis are now threatening to disrupt this flourishing economy.

The Burj el Fateh complex, one of the country’s most luxurious hotels, is the result of the Sudanese economic boom. But the ICC's decision impacts directly on it.

"In anticipation of the ICC decision, the week prior, we started noticing a drop in bookings for the hotel rooms and for the restaurant and then the week of the decision, we notice yet another drop […] We are waiting for…it’s just a wait and see approach now, we are waiting to see what will happen next," said Wissam Khalek, director at Burj el Fateh.

Security measures imposed by the UN and embassies on their staff have forced foreigners to stay home, leaving many restaurants and coffee shops almost completely deserted. The indictment of the president is on everybody’s mind but not on everyone’s lips and many managers would rather focus on the long term.

Dabanga coffee shop manager Amid Hafiz feels confident his Western-oriented restaurant -located in a neighbourhood popular with foreigners -will overcome the current crisis.

"It’s growing up, it’s better than before, a thousand times better than before, and I think that because Sudan is now developing slowly up, I think this field will come up also with it”.

It's a businessman’s rosy view of the future in uncertain times.