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KHARTOUM / DARFUR - 18 Sep 2013

Plan to lift subsidies on fuel ‘death penalty’ for Sudanese

Citizens are complaining of soaring prices of commodities, in particular food prices, in the capital of Sudan. The prices skyrocketed after the government announced its plans to lift subsidies on fuel a week ago.

Sources reported that at the Khartoum markets, a kilo of Saiga flour rose within a week from SDG4 ($0.90) to SDG5 ($1.14), while a kilo of Zadna flour that cost SDG4 ($0.90) now reached SDG6 ($1.36). Market traders pointed out that the price of a 10kg sack of sugar rose from SDG51 ($11.60) to SDG55 ($12.50), a sack of coal from SDG140 ($32) to SDG170 ($38.60), whereas a sack of onions rose from SDG250 ($57) to SDG300 ($68), a kilo of lemons from SDG20 ($4.54) to SDG25 ($5.70), and quarter kilo of fava beans, which has become stable food is most of the Sudanese households, has now reached SDG90 ($20.44) instead of SDG80 ($18) a week ago.

The traders explained the huge raise in prices have been caused by the plans to remove subsidies, recently announced by the government.

Last year, the Khartoum government also launched a package of austerity measures, which sparked rare but short-lived protests in various states of Sudan.

In Darfur people condemn the lifting of the subsidy on fuel. They demand lowering of prices instead. A source informed Radio Dabanga that the people consider the decision on removing the subsidies ‘the death penalty’ for the Sudanese people and called on them to raise their voices instead and oppose to the decision.

A coordinator of one of the Darfur camps for the displaced told Radio Dabanga that the people in the states of Darfur totally refuse the decision to lift the subsidies. “We, as displaced, believe that the purpose of this decision is the implementation of the government’s plans recently announced for 2014: to end all rebellions in Sudan. The removal of subsidies is meant to finance the continuation of war against the people in the marginalised regions of Darfur, Kordofan and the Blue Nile.”

File photo: Tim McKulka/UN Photo

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