Sudan’s inflation dropped slightly in Sudan during last month, although April precedes the Ramadan season known for the high demand for food commodities.
However, observers see that the liquidity crisis limits demand opportunities. The inflation in April dropped to 44.56 percent compared to 45.50 percent in March.
The Central Bureau of Statistics expected a decline in inflation in April but the increase in prices during Ramadan prevented these forecasts. The increases exceeded 100 percent compared to prices of the year before.
Some wholesale merchants told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the current increases in prices were unjustified. The traders, at a market in Omdurman market in Khartoum, said that the demand for diverse goods usually increase during Ramadan but sales are weak in the current time.
The merchants complained about the low demand and weak purchasing power among the majority of the Sudanese community due to pressuring economic conditions.
Economist Hisham Mohammad Issa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the fact that the Sudanese authorities are not controlling the huge increases in prices of basic commodities has aggravated the situation.
Activists in civil society organizations and associations to protect the Sudanese consumers warned of the current situation, describing it as one of the toughest crises in modern history. They also warned of the deterioration of the living conditions of most low-income consumers, expressing concerns about social and political consequences.
