Sudanese tighten belts as economic crisis grinds on

KHARTOUM: In Sudan some 65 percent of the population live below the poverty line, according to a 2020 report by the United Nations.

The country’s economic troubles stem from decades of government mismanagement, armed conflict and international sanctions against the government of president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April 2019 following mass protests against his rule triggered by biting hardship.

The crisis further deepened following a 2021 military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which upended a transition to civilian rule and triggered cuts to crucial international aid.

“We are trying to find cheaper alternatives to the food we normally consume,” said Soaad Bashir, a government employee and mother of four.

“My income is very low, and expenses are too high,” said the 43-year-old who makes less than 200,000 Sudanese pounds per month.

North Khartoum vegetable seller Al-Nour Adam says he has suffered heavy losses over the past nine months.

“Much of the produce spoilt because no one was buying it,” said Adam, who now offers a smaller range of vegetables in an attempt to cut his losses.

Inflation in Sudan has eased over the past year, falling to 87 percent in December from 318 percent in the same month of 2021 but analysts say that is not a sign of the economy improving.

“Inflation has simply declined because market activity has for months been at a standstill,” said Abdalla al-Ramady, economics professor at Al-Nilin University. “There is no demand, so prices of commodities are not going up. It’s a complete recession.”

The economic crisis has hit wide sections of Sudanese society not just the poor.

In recent weeks, hundreds of students staged protests over increases to university fees.

“I was asked to pay 550,000 pounds ($964) and my family cannot afford to pay,” said Mohamed Hussein, a first-year engineering student, noting that fees had last year stood at around 50,000 pounds ($87).

Meanwhile, hundreds of Sudanese professors have been on an open-ended strike since January 10 to protest low salaries.

Fees for other government services from issuing passports to road tolls have also gone up. “Road toll fees increased by five times at least compared to last year,” said freight haulier Tigani Omar.

“It will increase the cost of transport and will eventually reflect on all products.”

Despite scepticism about the prospects for a political breakthrough, some still hope that a deal between Sudan’s military rulers and civilian leaders could turn the economy around.

In December, the two sides signed a preliminary deal aimed at restoring the transition to civilian rule interrupted by Burhan’s coup.

But Abdelhalim Hafez, a private sector employee and breadwinner for his family of six, hopes the deal could see the resumption of a family support programme which was suspended after the coup.