Red Sea’s bread price increase feared to lead to poverty

Residents of Red Sea State have harshly criticised the government for increasing the prices of bread, claiming that increases will exacerbate poverty. A scarcity in meat and high transportation costs led to price rises in West Darfur.
Hamid Idris Suleiman, a former member of the State Legislative Council, described in an interview with Radio Dabanga on Thursday the increase of bread prices as a “disaster and real tragedy” for the people in the eastern Sudanese state.
Idris Suleiman pointed out that the increase was condemned and rejected by a vast majority of the residents. He said to expect a violent reaction to it. “We have earlier talked about the existence of the state of famine and the spread of tuberculosis.”
The owners of the bakeries in Red Sea State have announced an increase in the price of bread in all cities of the state as from Wednesday. They attributed this increase to the high cost of production inputs.
Speaking to Radio Dabanga in February this year, the then Red Sea parliament member Suleiman said he opposed a new law defining the fees to be paid for state government services. The proceeds were to be used to encourage tourism. [https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/red-sea-state-eastern-sudan-imposes-tourism-support-fees]
West Darfur price hike
In El Geneina, capital of West Darfur State, people have complained about the souring prices of meat, vegetables, fruit, and consumer goods. A kilogram of lamb and beef has risen from SDG50 to 60 ($), a sack of millet to SDG280 ($), a tin of oil to 450 pounds ($) and a sack of beans from 1,500 to 1,750 pounds ($-$). A sack of dates costs SDG370 ($).
The shopkeepers have attributed the rise to the increase of transportation costs from Khartoum to El Geneina, in addition to the scarcity of cattle, especially during the rainy season.
In the same regard, residents in Sudan’s El Gezira State have complained about the rise of cooking gas prices.