Sudan Fuel Shortage Disrupts Transport and Pushes Up Food Prices

Fuel shortages in Sudan are disrupting public transport, freight and factory production while raising food prices and expanding black-market trading.

Fuel shortages in Sudan are disrupting transport, freight and factory production, with higher movement costs adding to the price of food for ordinary people.

The shortage has been linked to global oil disruptions associated with the conflict in the Middle East, as well as domestic restrictions on fuel imports. The supply problems are affecting economic activity across the country.

Transport and markets under pressure

In Khartoum, resident Mohamed Hassan described the impact on the movement of people and goods in severe terms.

“The movement of goods and people has stopped, and the market is totally paralyzed, we need solutions, not promises,” Hassan said.

The disruption to public transport and freight has increased the cost of moving goods. Those higher transport expenses have, in turn, pushed up food prices, placing additional pressure on households.

The supply crunch has also contributed to a surge in black-market fuel trading across government-held areas, amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

Import barriers and supply challenges

A central bank requirement that fuel importers deposit the equivalent of 200 kilograms of gold has limited participation in the import market, according to the supplied account.

Unnamed analysts cited several deeper challenges, including the prolonged shutdown of the al-Jaili refinery, shortages of foreign exchange and difficulties financing fuel imports. The source did not provide details on the scope of the refinery shutdown or quantify its effect on national supplies.

The duration of the shortage, the scale of the price increases and the number of people affected were not specified.