War and Inflation Leave Khartoum Families Borrowing and Skipping Meals to Survive

Rasha Abdelaziz Musa sells tea for seven hours every day in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. She finishes work at 10pm, yet by then she is still unsure whether she has earned enough to feed her four children. Musa, 39, is doing her best, but food prices in Khartoum have risen so sharply that her earnings no longer cover her household's costs.

Musa's husband is a member of the Sudanese military. He has spent more than eight months on the front lines of the country's war, in which the military has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since 2023. Musa has not heard from him for months, and he has sent no money. Providing for the family has been left entirely to her.

Musa's children attend kindergarten, primary and secondary school. She said that feeding her family costs about 40,000 Sudanese pounds per day ($4 at the parallel-market exchange rate), before accounting for rent, household essentials and other expenses.

The family's staples are ful medames, a dish of stewed fava beans, or lentils. When lentils are too expensive, Musa serves taamiya, or falafel, sandwiches instead. Prices change regularly, and she often ends the day in debt to the traders she buys her food from.

Musa is not alone in Khartoum. Ahmed Youssef, 61, supports a family of 12 through his work in a butcher's shop and as an occasional intermediary in livestock sales. He can earn 90,000 to 140,000 pounds ($9 to $14) when a deal succeeds, but that income is irregular. He said his household spends more than 100,000 pounds ($10) daily, one income is no longer enough, and sometimes his older children have to work to help meet expenses.

Ali Fadil supports a family of 10 and has no permanent job. The 57-year-old goes to the market each morning to look for work. Some days he earns enough to buy food; on other days he finds no work at all, while his daily expenses still reach about 70,000 pounds ($7). 'Sometimes I skip meals so I can pay for school fees or medical costs,' he said. 'I also borrow money to meet other obligations.'

A survey of four local markets in the Khartoum State area last week found that prices for several essential foods had risen sharply within days. A kilogramme of sugar cost about 10,000 pounds ($1), up from 9,000 pounds two days earlier. A litre of cooking oil rose to 25,000 pounds ($2.50) from 20,000 pounds ($2), while a loaf of bread cost 500 pounds, compared with 300 pounds a week earlier.

The same survey found lentils cost about 10,000 pounds ($1) per kilogramme, up from 8,000 pounds, and rice was priced at 13,000 pounds ($1.30), up from 10,000 pounds. Powdered milk reached 70,000 pounds ($7) per kilogramme, up from 60,000 pounds two days earlier.

The Sudanese pound has also continued to weaken. On the parallel market, $1 was trading at 10,050 Sudanese pounds on Friday, compared with 9,500 the previous day.

Official figures from Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics tell the same story. Prices across the country were 28 percent higher in September than a year earlier, up from 26 percent in August, and rose by 7.5 percent in September alone, more than double the increase recorded the previous month. Food and beverages cost nearly 37 percent more in September than a year earlier, up from an annual increase of about 21 percent in August, and food prices jumped by more than 17 percent in September alone.

The situation was particularly severe in Khartoum State, where prices were nearly 60 percent higher than a year earlier and rose by more than 15 percent in September alone, following an increase of nearly 9 percent in August. Urban areas have generally been hit harder than rural communities: food prices in towns and cities were 55 percent higher than a year earlier, overall urban prices rose by 40 percent over the past year, compared with about 21 percent in rural areas.

The capital region is struggling to recover from widespread destruction caused by the war. Displaced residents have begun returning and businesses are gradually reopening since the military recaptured the state from the RSF last year, but damaged infrastructure and rising transport costs continue to constrain the availability of goods. The return of residents has increased demand for essential supplies, and in September fuel shortages hit the capital as consumption rose faster than supplies could be replenished.

According to the World Bank, Sudan's economy shrank by an estimated 29 percent in 2023 and a further 14 percent in 2024, as the war devastated businesses, disrupted agricultural production and eliminated jobs. According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 8.9 million people were still internally displaced as of April.

Journalist and economic affairs specialist Khalid Teks said Sudan's economic deterioration began long before the war. Falling oil production after South Sudan's secession in 2011 worsened conditions, as did the depreciation of the pound, cash shortages, international isolation, political conflict and corruption in the years preceding the removal of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. He said political instability during the power transition undermined economic performance and deep reforms were not implemented before war broke out in 2023; families now increasingly deplete their savings and sell their possessions to cover everyday expenses, and remittance channels have also been disrupted.

Teks called for easier humanitarian access, an end to the war, direct support for vulnerable households and low-interest loans for small businesses and craft enterprises. He said the government needs to provide direct support through dedicated funds and the Zakat Chamber, facilitate humanitarian organisations and offer affordable loans, which could help reopen markets and workshops and expand microfinance. The report also noted concern that, after strong agricultural production in 2024, limited rainfall this year could bring possible food shortages after the harvest begins in November.