Sudan war and inflation leave families struggling to survive in Khartoum
News Source
β’Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:09:05 +0000
π° What Happened
Rasha Abdelaziz Musa sells tea in Khartoum for about seven hours a day. The 39-year-old mother of four still does not know if she will earn enough to feed her children. Her husband is a soldier who has spent more than eight months on the front line. She has not heard from him in months, and he sends no money.
Feeding the family costs her about 40,000 Sudanese pounds a day, or roughly $4 at the parallel market rate. That is before rent and other bills. When lentils get too expensive, she serves falafel sandwiches instead. She often ends the day owing money to the traders who give her food on credit.
π The Backstory
Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since 2023. The army retook Khartoum state last year, and some families have come back. But damaged roads and buildings, fuel shortages and higher transport costs keep goods scarce while demand rises.
Prices are climbing fast. The national statistics office says prices were 28 percent higher in September than a year before. Food cost nearly 37 percent more. In Khartoum state, prices were almost 60 percent higher. The World Bank says the economy shrank by 29 percent in 2023 and 14 percent in 2024.
π― Why It Matters
For families like Musa's, the war is not only bombs and bullets. It is the daily math of bread, rent and school fees. Aid groups warn hunger will keep growing unless the fighting stops.
Rasha Abdelaziz Musa sells tea in Khartoum for about seven hours a day. The 39-year-old mother of four still does not know if she will earn enough to feed her children. Her husband is a soldier who has spent more than eight months on the front line. She has not heard from him in months, and he sends no money.
Feeding the family costs her about 40,000 Sudanese pounds a day, or roughly $4 at the parallel market rate. That is before rent and other bills. When lentils get too expensive, she serves falafel sandwiches instead. She often ends the day owing money to the traders who give her food on credit.
Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since 2023. The army retook Khartoum state last year, and some families have come back. But damaged roads and buildings, fuel shortages and higher transport costs keep goods scarce while demand rises.
Prices are climbing fast. The national statistics office says prices were 28 percent higher in September than a year before. Food cost nearly 37 percent more. In Khartoum state, prices were almost 60 percent higher. The World Bank says the economy shrank by 29 percent in 2023 and 14 percent in 2024.
For families like Musa's, the war is not only bombs and bullets. It is the daily math of bread, rent and school fees. Aid groups warn hunger will keep growing unless the fighting stops.