RSF levies inflate crop prices in North Kordofan capital 

At the Crops Stock Exchange in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, traders have attributed economic inflation and decreased supply of crops to the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city. 

El Obeid’s crop market is witnessing a significant increase in buying and selling prices. “The price rises are caused by the levies imposed by the RSF on crops transported to the stock exchange from the production facilities,” Ali Jaber, a trader at the market, told Radio Dabanga. 

The RSF is currently in control of the city’s northern, western, and southern entrances. 

At this time of year, “the price of peanuts in Ghobeish, El Fula, and En Nehoud in West Kordofan does not usually exceed SDG320,000 per quintal. But their price on the stock exchange has risen to SDG 700,000 this season, due to the illegal levies collected by RSF members controlling the roads between the production areas and El Obeid.” 

Jaber reported other reasons for the rise in buying and selling prices, including continuous power cuts that have hindered operations at the oilfields, the scarcity and high price of fuel, and investors pulling out of bean and gum Arabic crops. 

“The price of a quintal of sesame is now SDG56,000, gum Arabic SDG120,000, and hibiscus SDG55,000,” he added.  

“Sorghum and millet production in North Kordofan was very poor this year as farmers were not able to cultivate the crops. The grains now come from El Gedaref in eastern Sudan. The price of an ardeb [189 kg] of sorghum has reached SDG90,000 because the RSF has occupied Um Rawaba and parts of Bara. They impose an SDG300,0000 levy on each vehicle coming into El Obeid through these areas.” 

Early November, the El Gezira and El Managil Farmers Alliance also confirmed a significant decline in the production of sorghum this year. 

FEWS NET 

The Famine Early Warnings System Network (FEWS NET) reported in October that harvests are expected to be below average and below that of last year, with areas close to ongoing fighting experiencing below-average harvests.  

“While cumulative rainfall for the June to September rainy season was broadly average to above average, localized irregularities in the temporal and spatial rainfall distribution, combined with persistently above-average temperatures, have aggravated conflict-related impacts on production,” said FEWS NET. Especially rural areas close to urban centres in the Darfur and Kordofan regions have reported “variably below-normal cultivation at the start of the season, below-average crop production through the duration of the season, and often the inability to harvest due to the conflict.” 

FEWS NET predicts that prices will remain “atypically high” going into 2024 “as the conflict continues to disrupt trade and market functionality.” 

Supply shortages 

Another source told Radio Dabanga that the interruption of communications also affects the movement of trade in El Obeid. “The poor quality of the network is a result of continuous power cuts and the lack of fuel to operate the power stations. The electricity has been cut off since Thursday and that this affected the communication networks a lot.” 

On Friday, Radio Dabanga reported that the capital of North Kordofan faces a severe shortage of medicines in local pharmacies, amid an ongoing strike by doctors at El Obeid Teaching Hospital. 

In a statement issued early October, Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers issued an appeal to “rescue and treat the injured at El Obeid Teaching Hospital and El Daman Hospital, due to power outages and shortages of fuel and medical supplies.” 

The ongoing fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF leaves millions of people in Sudan facing critical shortages of food, water, and basic supplies.  

As reported previously by Radio Dabanga, farmers in South Darfur have warned of famine if humanitarian organisations do not intervene to provide aid. Their needs have acutely intensified as the agricultural season resulted in pastoralist encroachments by driving livestock into farms.