Soaring Prices and War Leave Khartoum Families Struggling to Eat

Rasha Abdelaziz Musa sells tea for seven hours every day in Khartoum, finishing at 10pm. Even so, the 39-year-old mother of four is never sure her earnings will stretch far enough to feed her children, who attend kindergarten, primary and secondary school.

Her husband, a member of the Sudanese military, has spent more than eight months on the front lines of the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in 2023. Musa has not heard from him for months and he has sent no money. She told Al Jazeera that feeding the family costs about 40,000 Sudanese pounds a day, roughly $4 at the parallel-market rate, before rent and other expenses. She often ends the day in debt to the traders who supply her food.

Other households describe similar pressure. Ahmed Youssef, 61, supports 12 people through work at a butcher's shop and occasional livestock brokering, which pays 90,000 to 140,000 pounds when a deal succeeds. His household spends more than 100,000 pounds daily. "One income is no longer enough to cover the family's needs, and sometimes my older children have to work to help meet expenses," he said.

Ali Fadil, 57, supports a family of 10 and looks for day work at the market each morning. Some days he finds none, yet his daily costs reach about 70,000 pounds. "Sometimes I skip meals so I can pay for school fees or medical costs," he said, adding that he also borrows money to meet other obligations.

An Al Jazeera survey of four markets in Khartoum State last week found sharp increases within days. Sugar rose to about 10,000 pounds per kilogramme from 9,000 two days earlier, and cooking oil climbed to 25,000 pounds per litre from 20,000. Bread went from 300 to 500 pounds a loaf over a week. Lentils, rice and powdered milk also rose. On the parallel market, the dollar traded at 10,050 pounds on Friday, up from 9,500 the day before.

Official data points the same way. Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics reported that national prices in September were 28 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with 26 percent in August. Food and beverage prices were nearly 37 percent higher, and in Khartoum State overall prices were nearly 60 percent higher. Urban areas have been hit harder than rural ones, with urban food prices up 55 percent on the year.

The capital is still recovering from widespread destruction. Displaced residents have been returning and businesses reopening since the military retook the state from the RSF last year, but damaged infrastructure and higher transport costs limit supplies. Returning residents have raised demand, and fuel shortages hit the capital in September. The World Bank estimates Sudan's economy shrank 29 percent in 2023 and a further 14 percent in 2024, while the International Organization for Migration says nearly 8.9 million people remained internally displaced as of April.

Economic affairs specialist Khalid Teks said the decline began before the war, citing lost oil output after South Sudan's secession in 2011, currency depreciation, cash shortages, isolation, political conflict and corruption before Omar al-Bashir's removal in 2019. He said families are depleting savings and selling possessions, and that remittance channels have been disrupted. Limited rainfall this year has also raised concern about food shortages after the harvest begins in November.

Teks urged easier humanitarian access, an end to the war, direct support for vulnerable households and low-interest loans for small businesses. "The government needs to provide direct support through dedicated funds and the Zakat Chamber, facilitate humanitarian organisations and offer affordable loans for small businesses and vocational activities," he said.