Sudan war and inflation leave families struggling to survive in Khartoum

Inflation is a broad rise in prices over time. It reduces the purchasing power of money. When food, rent, transport, and school costs rise faster than earnings, families must cut back or borrow. Inflation matters because even a small daily increase becomes a serious burden when repeated every day.

In Khartoum, Musa says feeding her four children costs about 40,000 Sudanese pounds daily. Lentils, sugar, rice, oil, and bread have all become more expensive. A litre of cooking oil rose from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds, while bread rose from 300 to 500 pounds per loaf. The same income therefore buys fewer meals.

Families respond by changing what they eat, delaying payments, or skipping meals. Musa sometimes ends the day owing traders. Ali Fadil skips meals to pay school or medical costs. If inflation continues, households may face deeper debt, poorer diets, and reduced access to education and healthcare.

The article reports sharp price growth across Sudan, with the worst increases in Khartoum State. In September, overall prices across the country were 28 percent higher than a year earlier. They also rose 7.5 percent in September alone. Food and beverages increased nearly 37 percent annually, then jumped more than 17 percent during September.

Khartoum State experienced even faster inflation. Prices there were nearly 60 percent higher than a year earlier. They rose by more than 15 percent in September, after increasing nearly 9 percent in August. Market checks also found rapid changes in individual food prices within days.

For example, sugar rose from 9,000 to 10,000 pounds per kilogram. Lentils rose from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds. Rice increased from 10,000 to 13,000 pounds, and powdered milk reached 70,000 pounds per kilogram. These increases make household budgeting extremely difficult.

A currency loses value when it buys fewer units of foreign currency. That makes imported goods and supplies more expensive in local money. The article links the weakening Sudanese pound with rising food prices, but it does not identify one specific cause for the currency’s decline. The war and economic disruption provide the wider setting, but the article gives no detailed currency analysis.

Al Jazeera’s monitored parallel-market rate put one US dollar at 10,050 Sudanese pounds on Friday. The previous day, it was 9,500 pounds. This rapid movement shows how quickly the exchange value was changing outside the official market. The article uses the parallel-market rate to convert household costs into dollar amounts.

A weaker pound increases pressure on families because sellers may adjust prices as replacement goods become more costly. In Khartoum, sugar, oil, lentils, rice, milk, and bread all rose sharply. Without stronger incomes or a more stable currency, families will find planning and buying essentials increasingly difficult.

War can push food prices higher when it damages infrastructure, interrupts commerce, and makes it harder for goods to reach markets. Those disruptions can reduce available supplies while families still need food. However, the provided article does not describe specific damage to transport networks, farms, or supply routes, so their exact effects cannot be established from this text.

The article does report widespread destruction in the capital region. Businesses are gradually reopening after the military recaptured Khartoum State from the RSF last year, but infrastructure remains damaged. Families also face irregular incomes, and traders change prices frequently. These conditions make buying and selling food less predictable.

The result is visible in household budgets. Musa often ends the day in debt to food traders, while other families borrow money or skip meals. The article suggests that recovery is incomplete. Until businesses, infrastructure, and incomes become more stable, food prices and household hardship may remain under pressure.

Urban areas such as Khartoum can experience faster price increases when large populations depend on markets and when local commerce is disrupted. The article reports that Khartoum State prices were nearly 60 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with 28 percent across Sudan. It does not provide a full rural comparison or identify every reason for the gap.

The article describes widespread destruction in the capital region after the war. Although displaced people have started returning and businesses are gradually reopening, infrastructure remains damaged. Families in the capital still need to buy daily food, while traders face rapidly changing prices. This combination places strong pressure on urban household budgets.

Khartoum’s September increase exceeded 15 percent, following nearly 9 percent in August. Across Sudan, food prices rose more than 17 percent in September alone. The figures show that urban recovery has not restored stability. Until infrastructure and businesses recover more fully, Khartoum families may continue facing unusually rapid price increases.

When wages and job opportunities rise more slowly than food prices, households lose purchasing power. Their income may look unchanged, but it buys less each week. Families must then choose between food and other needs, including rent, school fees, healthcare, and household essentials. Irregular work makes the problem even harder to manage.

Musa works seven hours each day selling tea but still struggles to feed four children. Ali Fadil searches for work each morning and sometimes finds none. His daily expenses reach about 70,000 pounds. He says he skips meals to pay school fees or medical costs and borrows money for other obligations.

Other families change their diets or rely on relatives and traders. Musa serves lentils, ful medames, or taamiya, and owes traders when prices are too high. Youssef says older children sometimes work to help. Continued pressure can deepen debt, reduce meals, and pull children away from school.

A prolonged war can shrink an economy by damaging workplaces, infrastructure, and trade. Fewer businesses operate, fewer people earn regular wages, and households spend less. Reduced production and disrupted commerce can also limit supplies. When scarce goods meet strong demand, prices rise, weakening incomes further in real terms. The article shows these pressures but does not provide a complete economic model.

Khartoum suffered widespread destruction, and businesses are only gradually reopening. Musa’s husband has spent more than eight months on the front lines and sends no money. Youssef’s livestock-related income is irregular, while Fadil searches for work each morning. Their families still face daily food bills of about 40,000, over 100,000, and 70,000 pounds respectively.

This creates a damaging cycle. War reduces jobs and earnings, inflation makes essentials costlier, and families borrow, skip meals, or send older children to work. Continued instability could delay business recovery and keep household incomes below rising expenses. The article indicates that reconstruction and reopening have begun, but recovery remains incomplete.