Sudan inflation hits 45.3% in June

Sudan’s annual inflation rate jumped to 45.3 percent in June, reflecting a 10 percent rise in prices of consumer goods on the month, the Central Statistics Office said on Monday. Prices surged in Sudan since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country’s oil output. Oil revenues are Sudan’s main source of foreign currency, needed to support its pound and pay for food, and other imports. The statistics office said inflation had been increasing for several months due to rising prices of consumer products and services. In May, annual inflation was running at 41.2 percent. The rising costs are also reflected in water and power outages. Government institutions and private companies have difficulties to regularly pay for fuel to operate water engines, or obtain hard currency to purchase spare parts from abroad. Over the weekend, hundreds of residents of the large Khartoum district of Kalakla went to the streets in protest against a continued lack of water. The police broke up the protests using batons and tear gas. In Wad Madani, Gezira State, people stage a demonstration against power outages. The population of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, are suffering from power cuts for three months. (Source: Reuters) File photo Related: South Darfur capital ‘living in the dark’ (2 July 2014)Boy dies after police disperse water protest in Sudan’s capital (28 June 2014)