Michel Sidhom, a supply chain manager at a trading company operating in Egypt and Sudan, said its business in Sudan had 'completely stopped' as exports of Egyptian fertilizers and flour, typically about 10,000 tonnes per month each, were halted.Įgypt, Sudan's second biggest destination for livestock, a key export, said it is looking to diversify its sources as a result of the unrest. Imports of white goods such as refrigerators across the land border with Egypt, where tens of thousands of Sudanese have fled northwards, have also slowed, said Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce secretary-general Alaa Ezz. Imports of wheat, key to Sudan's food security, are becoming more difficult, said one Khartoum-based trader. While the country's main port on the Red Sea is operating, at least one big shipping company, Maersk, says it has stopped taking bookings until further notice. The conflict has hampered trade flows in and out of the East African nation, since banking and customs procedures are centralised in Khartoum.

About a third of the 46 million population depends on humanitarian aid. Most Sudanese have struggled with years of rampant inflation, sharp currency devaluations and sliding living standards. Sudan, already an important exporter of gum arabic, sesame, peanuts, and livestock, has the potential to be a major agricultural and livestock exporter and logistics hub.īut the economy has been held back by decades of sanctions and international isolation, as well as deep corruption. This is a war on the citizen,' said Ismail Elhassan, an employee at one Khartoum business. 'We are afraid, and we are suffering from high prices, shortages, and lack of salaries. Telecom networks have become unreliable and some say they have begun rationing food and water. Transport of goods and people has slowed as troops and sometimes gangs roam the streets. Tens of thousands have now fled the violence in Khartoum and its sister cities of Bahri and Omdurman, while millions more have sheltered at home as shelling and air strikes rattle across neighbourhoods. KHARTOUM/CAIRO, May 4 (Reuters) - The conflict shaking Sudan has dealt a crippling blow to the heart of the country's economy in the capital Khartoum, as well as disrupting internal trade routes, threatening imports and triggering a cash crunch.Īcross swathes of the capital factories, banks, shops and markets have been looted or damaged, power and water supplies have been failing, and residents have reported steep price rises and shortages of basic goods.Įven before the fighting between military factions broke out on April 15 Sudan's economy had been in deep stagnation following a crisis stretching back to the last years of Omar al-Bashir's rule and turmoil after his overthrow in 2019.

AL by Charles W. Lamb