Sudan’s poor struggle with shopping for Eid El Fitr

The economic situation for women in South Kordofan and refugee camps in Chad with the advent of the official festival to break the Ramadan fast, Eid El Fitr, has deteriorated significantly.

Jalila Khamis, an activist in the field of women rights and leadership issues reported that with the advent of the end of the holy month of Ramadan, there is a huge increase in the prices of clothing. “Especially clothes for chidren have become expensive. Women have difficulties paying for consumer goods as well.

“Women have little or no money to provide the needs of Eid El Fitr to their children. They are unable to understand their living conditions.”

The Islamic Fiqh Acadamy has announced that Eid El Fitr, the holiday which marks the end of holy month of Ramadan, shall be celebrated this Wednesday, the official Sudanese news agency Suna reported.

Food commodities become expensive in Sudan in the advent of Ramadan and Eid El Fitr. In Blue Nile, activist Fathia Osman also pointed out the rise of prices for goods that are popular for the holiday.

“The purchasing power in the state is very weak, especially for [workers in] low-income sectors, who are unable to meet the needs of Eid Al Fitr – unlike traders and state officials.”

For the Darfuri women in eastern Chad's refugee camps, of whom many are widows, buying the needs for Eid El Fitr has become a problem. Hawa Bakhit, the president of the women union in camp Treguine, reported the issue to Radio Dabanga. “Widows cannot afford to buy goods because of the rise of consumer goods.”

She appealed to relief organisations in Treguine to consider the conditions of widows and orphans from Darfur, and provide some food and clothes to them.

Fees on tea

During the month of Ramadan, food and tea vendors in Abu Jubeiha's market in South Kordofan reported that local authorities have imposed levies and fees on them, amounting to 280 Sudanese pounds for each tea seller ($45.75).

“There is resentment among vendors for this decision,” a listener said from Abu Jubeiha. “The police confiscates tea sellers' pots to force them to pay the imposed levies.”