2023-04-26 14:54:33
Sudan is witnessing a continuous rise in the prices of all consumer goods, amid scarcity and scarcity of some basic food products, especially in the capital, Khartoum, following 11 days of fierce battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which exacerbated the living conditions of citizens.
Since the morning of the outbreak of the military confrontations, supply operations to markets with various commodities have stopped, following factories and large companies closed their doors and the absence of means of transportation due to the lack of safe passages linking parts of the capital Khartoum, which cast a negative shadow on the prices of all products, which increased insanely..
Where did the prices come from?
- According to Bakri Saleh, one of the merchants in the Libyan market, west of the city of Omdurman, who spoke to “Sky News Arabia”, the price of sugar has increased by up to 50 percent from what it was before the outbreak of the armed conflict.
- The price of wheat flour increased by 30 percent.
- Edible oil increased by 45 percent.
- The prices of onions, rice, vegetables, eggs and meat increased by 50 to 60 percent.
Live testimonies from the people of Khartoum monitor the extent of their suffering as a result of the conflict
The bread is fixed
- Despite the high price of wheat flour in the market, bread still maintains its previous price, which is sold at 50 pounds per loaf.
- Despite this, there is an acute shortage of bread.
- The reason is that the majority of grain mills are located in the industrial zone in the city of Bahri, north of the capital, and it is one of the areas most affected by military clashes following Khartoum.
- However, citizens said that they saw trucks loaded with flour on their way to residential neighborhoods, to supply bakeries and cover the deficit..
The humanitarian situation in Sudan is deteriorating due to the conflict
What do citizens say?
Salman Al-Tayeb, a resident of Umbada, west of Omdurman, tells Sky News Arabia:
- “Residents are forced to line up in front of bakeries for long periods of time, up to 3 hours at most, to get bread.”
- “There are many bakeries in our area that have closed their doors completely, due to the depletion of their stock of flour. As for those that still have some flour, they have not been able to work at their full capacity, due to the fluctuation of the electric current, which is constantly cut off.”
- “There is no fuel to use local generators, which has created a real bread crisis“.
Commodity supply stopped
Bakri Saleh, who spoke to “Sky News Arabia”, a shop owner, indicated that the supply of various commodities had stopped, which prompted wholesalers to raise the prices of the commodities they kept in warehouses. added:
- “This has prompted us, as retailers, to increase prices in line with the hike and have put in a small profit to keep us going.”
- “There are serious difficulties in transporting goods and products, however, a number of commodities, including sugar, may run out at any moment, in light of the suspension of local factories and the movement of import operations.”“.
The armed conflict erupted at a time when Sudan was experiencing a severe economic crisis, which was manifested in a terrible decline in the value of the national currency, the pound, a rise in inflation and high prices, amid a two billion deficit in the general budget, which led to the failure of the state to pay the salaries of public service workers, despite its weakness..
The continuation of the war will deepen the Sudanese economic crisis
Two months without pay.
The Sudanese teacher, Ahmed Abdullah, told Sky News Arabia the difficult crisis he and other citizens are experiencing, saying:
- “I enter the second month in a row without receiving a salary, which made me face harsh living conditions, in light of a new escalation in the prices of consumer goods, as a result of the continued confrontations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.”.
- “All my money has run out, and there is no hope of paying the salaries of public service workers. We are living in a state of no state now, in light of the chaos of armed conflict.”
- “This is a very difficult situation. Prices have skyrocketed and businesses have stopped. There is no choice but to stop the fighting immediately, because its continuation would mean a death sentence for an entire people.”
What does the economist say?
The economic analyst, Ahmed Khalil, expected a further escalation in commodity prices during the coming period, if the military confrontations between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces continued. He said:
- “The rise will continue due to the complete cessation of production, and the economy will shift from a development economy to a war economy, in which priorities are directed to supporting military equipment, which will negatively affect the markets.”.
- “The regional states are witnessing relative calm, while work continues in most of the productive sectors, but they will be affected, in turn, with the passage of time, by the raging conflict in Khartoum, which completely halted life there.”
- “We have no way but to reach a permanent ceasefire and an immediate solution to this crisis.”
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