High Prices of Consumer Goods in West Kordofan

Sudan Events – Follow-ups

Abu Zubad locality in West Kordofan state has witnessed a sudden scarcity of food and strategic goods due to the delay of goods trucks arriving from the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, which were detained as a result of violent clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Militia (RSF) south of El Obeid last week.
The prices of consumer goods in the markets of the city of Abu Zabd rose in an unprecedented manner, as the price of a bag of sugar rose to (125) thousand pounds instead of (102) thousand pounds previously, while the price of a bag of flour weighing twenty-five kilograms reached (45) thousand pounds, while the price of A bag of white rice weighing twenty-five kilograms reached (44) thousand pounds instead of (32) thousand pounds. The yellow rice completely disappeared from supply in the market, and the price of a bag of onions jumped to (120) thousand pounds instead of (80) thousand pounds last week .
The price of a jar of edible oil ranged between (40) to (42) thousand pounds, and the price of a bag of red lentils stabilized at (60) thousand pounds.
Merchants attributed the sudden increase in the prices of food commodities to the intensification of recent battles in the city of El Obeid, which led to the detention of a quantity of goods trucks due to the danger of the road linking El Obeid, Al Dabaibat, and Abu Zabd.
On the other hand, the prices of products imported from South Sudan through the “Souq Al-Naam” border crossing in the Abyei region rose to an unprecedented rise.
A number of merchants who supply goods from the Al-Naam market explained that they were surprised by the incredible increase in the prices of consumer and strategic goods, and attributed the high prices to the rise in the price of the dollar against the South Sudanese pound, in addition to the controls and conditions set by the local authorities in the Abyei region in the procedures for the buying and selling process related to purchasing goods in the Sudanese currency or the dollar, refusing to sell, with your bank balance, which is most used in the circulation of money and the exchange of common benefits.
While the prices of goods coming from Al-Dabbah in the Northern State previously cheaper via Al-Khawi locality rose to an unprecedented increase due to the large number of random (native) crossing gates that collect huge sums of money from merchants, in addition to the emergence of gangs and armed looting on the road, which led to the abandonment of a large number of traders consider the profession of trade relative to the risks to which traders are exposed.
Meanwhile, the prices of sorghum in the local market of Abu Zubad recorded a significant increase, and the price of sorghum ardeb “Al-Mareq” reached a record high and reached (120) thousand pounds, while the price of a sack of wheat rose to (114) thousand pounds. Millet disappeared from the market.
The city of Abu Zabid is also witnessing a cash flow crisis and an exorbitant increase in the prices of goods, which has led to a stagnation in the buying and selling movement and weak purchasing power.
Citizens complained about the high cost of living, and called on the warring parties to stop the war so that the oppressed citizen could live a prosperous and dignified life.
It is noteworthy that the goods enter the city of Abu Zubad in the state of West Kordofan, which is considered the largest commercial center in the state and a major distributor for neighboring localities, through three main crossings feeding the region through Al-Obeid, Al-Dabaibat, and Abu Zubad, and the northern state via Al-Dabbah, Al-Khoei, and Abu Zubad, in addition to the Al-Na’am crossing in the disputed Abyei region. Between Sudan and South Sudan.