Diesel $21.30 a gallon in Sudan’s Kassala

Racketeering is rife in Sudan’s Kassala as reports from the state complain that the fuel crisis has worsened in an unprecedented manner. A gallon of diesel now cost SDG 600 (*$21.30) on the black market.

Ibrahim Mohamed Nur told Radio Dabanga that a large number of people had to stop their vehicles because of the fuel crisis, which has caused a severe traffic problem. The queues of vehicles in front of fuel stations continue for days.

Nur accused the regular Sudanese forces of “deliberately creating problems at the fuel stations in order to obtain quantities of fuel to sell them on the black market”.

Residents of Kassala complained about the lack of drinking water and the continuous interruption of electricity since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

A resident from Kassala told Radio Dabanga that the price of a jerry can of drinking water from carts has amounted to SDG 7, while the price of the barrel of water has amounted to SDG 60.

The Kassala Water Corporation attributed the water crisis to the 12 wells that went out of service because of the decrease in the level of the basin.

The residents explained that the frequent electricity cuts has caused damage to the materials saved in the refrigerator.

The prices of sugar, commodities and vegetables in new Halfa in Kassala recorded an unprecedented rise in the month of Ramadan

A resident from new Halfa told Radio Dabanga that a 50 kg sack of sugar has risen to SDG 1,600, a pound of sugar in the districts has risen to SDG 16

The price of a box of tomatoes SDG 1,000, a box of mango SDG 120 and dozen oranges SDG 80.

* SDG 28,148 = USD 1 based on the indicative US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan