RSF force Darfur merchants to set food prices

Rapid Support Forces beat a trader in the Garsila crop market in Darfur on Monday after he refused to adjust the price for cereals. The market was closed after the incident.

Witnesses reported to Radio Dabanga that the members of the RSF, led by Ahmed Shagab, entered the crop market in Central Darfur and demanded merchants to set their price for cereals at SDG 40 ($5.70). They started beating Abdel Banat when he refused to do so.

A week ago, traders in a market in West Darfur faced the same demands made by RSF members. Four of the traders were arrested as they refused to lower their prices. Others protested and closed the market.

The prices of consumer goods such as sugar, flour, spaghetti, oil and milk in markets in Sudan have soread. In early January, the Sudanese markets were hit by the consequences of financial measures taken by the government based on the 2018 National Budget.

Price control

In Khartoum, President Omar Al Bashir directed the competent authorities to dismantle what he called the monopoly of commodity prices, to control prices, and monitor the markets on a daily basis, in order to ensure that goods are easily accessible to the people in Sudan.

During a meeting yesterday, Al Bashir instructed the authorities to discuss exchange rate controls with the Ministries of Trade and Industry, in coordination with concerned parties. This would happen in discussion with “private government factories” that have direct outlets for their products so as to ease burdens on Sudanese people.