Khartoum Residents Hungry and Their Cars Thirsty

The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, is experiencing a severe fuel crisis, with long lines of vehicles stretching for days outside gas stations in anticipation of tanker deliveries.

According to the website Sahih Sudan, citing a report by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) today, some gas stations have completely shut down due to depleted stocks, while vehicles continue to queue outside them. The report added that transportation in the capital has been disrupted by the fuel shortage. The three cities of Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri are facing a scarcity of public transport, despite soaring fares for local vehicles, prompting many people to walk to work and students to walk to universities.

In a related development, the capital is also experiencing a shortage of bread flour, leading some bakeries to close their doors. The price of a sack of flour has surged from 87,000 to 127,000 Sudanese pounds, following a depreciation of the pound to around 10,000 pounds per US dollar.

Bakery owners have predicted further increases in bread prices, as the costs of production inputs—including flour, yeast, oils, and gas—have risen since the beginning of the crisis.

Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. The conflict has claimed at least 59,000 lives, displaced approximately 13 million people, and pushed large parts of the country toward famine.