Shortage of fuel, transport fees doubled in Khartoum, Sudan

Bus drivers in Khartoum complain about a lack of fuel at most petrol stations in the city, while residents of the Sudanese capital suffer from a sudden increase of the transport fees.

“People have to queue again to obtain some petrol or diesel,” a bus driver told Radio Dabanga from the Sudanese capital. “A number of petrol stations are closed already.”

Bus fees

An angry bus passenger reported to Radio Dabanga from Karkar bus station in Khartoum, that the transport fees were more than doubled last week. “The bus owners raised the fees from SDG2 ($0.35) to SDG5 ($0.85) on the lines from El Sawra Sabreen in Omdurman to central Khartoum, and from Haj Yousef in Khartoum North to Mayo in southern Khartoum.”

He added that the fees for a seat in a minibus from central Khartoum to El Kalakla in southwest Khartoum or to Omdurman increased from SDG3 to SDG6 ($1).”

“President Al Bashir, in his inauguration speech on 2 June, promised us that the new government would not be greedy,” he said. “Yet, the same evening, our frustration was fed by the news about the rise of transportation fees.”

Confiscations

He further reported that the authorities of Jebel Aulia locality in southern Khartoum confiscated the working gear of tea sellers and street vendors in El Azhari and El Ingaz districts. “They were told that their tools will be returned if they pay what the authorities call an added fee, of SDG100 ($17).

“The tea sellers and street vendors pay already SDG100 each month for their permits,” he explained. “They are desperate, as most of them are single mothers and widows, and youngsters who cannot find a decent job.”