Sudan staple food costs ‘increase 300% since last year’

According to a recent report published by the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), Sudan’s growing acute food insecurity, recent flooding, and mass displacement as a result of intercommunal conflict, have led to Sudan being classified as a country in ‘crisis’.

The report, which was published on Friday by FEWS NET, highlighted a number of key incidents leading to Sudan’s recent ‘crisis’ classification.

FEWS NET’s report stated that in August and September, heavy rain and flash floods “destroyed at least 24,800 homes and damaged another 48,200 in 16 out of the 18 states”, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan.

The National Council for Civil Defence reported that 146 people have died as a result of the floods, and more than 122 people injured since the start of the rainy season in June.

Among the most affected states are South Darfur, White Nile, Kassala, Central Darfur and, Gedaref.

Additionally, FEWS NET stated that another ‘crisis’ indicator, particularly in the case of Blue Nile, parts of Darfur and Kordofan, a confluence of soaring food prices, displacement, and intercommunal clashes, have significantly impacted households and diminished their purchasing power.

September’s staple food prices increased by a further five to 10 per cent across Sudan’s markets, due to “seasonally reduced market supplies, increased demand for local consumption, and high transportation costs”, according to the report.

FEWS NET stated that September’s staple food prices remain 250-300 per cent above respective prices last year, and 550-700 per cent above the five-year average.

The report owed Sudan’s deteriorating macroeconomic situation to “political instability, persistent low foreign currency reserves, high inflation rates, and the depreciation of the SDG”.

FEWS NET also attributed the government’s raised taxes on “agricultural products, port fees, industry, and trade”, as a further constraint on Sudan’s household purchasing power.

*The Famine Early Warning Systems Network is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on food insecurity. Created by USAID in 1985 to help decision-makers plan for humanitarian crises, FEWS NET provides evidence-based analysis on approximately 30 countries.