Sudan's Economy Shattered By Two Years Of War

Two years after the start of Sudan's devastating civil war, the price of essential food items in some areas of the country has spiralled and tens of millions are struggling to afford basic provisions. According to the IMF the inflation rate based on average consumer prices is expected to hit 118.9 this year, following 200 last year.

In the city of Port Sudan, a safer part of the country where many Sudanese from elsewhere have accumulated, one kilogram of meat now sells for 26,000 Sudanese pounds 43. Before the war, it was at 12,000 SDG 20. Basic commodities such as rice, beans and sugar are difficult to find and have also spiked in price.

UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council in March that Sudan "is now the largest and the most devastating humanitarian crisis in the world, with some 30 million requiring humanitarian assistance this year, more than half of whom are children.

"The rise in prices, soaring inflation rates, and the collapse of the market value of the Sudanese currency are primarily due to the paralysis of productive sectors and the state's increasing reliance on revenues from the mineral sector to keep the government running and cover the costs of war," Mohamed Elhadi, a political activist, tells African Business.

After two years of war between government forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and a powerful military faction known as the Rapid Support Forces RSF, led by his former deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, there is no immediate end in sight. In late March the Sudanese army secured a significant victory when it drove RSF troops from the capital Khartoum. On 15 April G7 foreign ministers called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Sudan and condemned attacks by both sides.