El Fasher, September 25 (Darfur24)
The price of basic food items has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels in the besieged city of El Fasher, leaving more than 250,000 residents on the brink of starvation.
According to Darfur24’s monitoring, the price of a kilogram of rice has reached 500,000 Sudanese pounds, while meat now costs 100,000 pounds per kilo. Sugar sells for 70,000 pounds per pound, compared to 1,500 pounds before the war. Cooking gas has been unavailable for over two years, forcing residents to rely on firewood and charcoal.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have imposed a total siege on El Fasher since May 10, 2024, blocking the entry of commercial goods and humanitarian aid. The blockade has triggered record inflation and deepened the humanitarian catastrophe.
“Rising prices and shortages are a direct result of the blockade,” said Mohamed Adam Ismail, a crop trader in El Fasher. “The population is suffering from extreme scarcity and lack of livelihoods, while demand grows for the few smuggled goods entering the city.”
He said the RSFs’ strict control over roads leading into El Fasher has cut off the flow of essential goods, fueling severe shortages. With the city under siege and several armed groups fighting inside, demand for the few smuggled goods has sharply increased, driving prices even higher.
The UNHCR on Monday described the situation in El Fasher as “catastrophic”, warning that the city has become a hotspot of violence under a deadly siege.
Despite repeated calls from the UN Secretary-General and humanitarian organizations for a truce to allow aid delivery, the RSF has so far refused.