The British newspaper, The Economist, said that there are expectations that Sudan may witness an outbreak of confrontations during the current month of Ramadan between the frustrated and impoverished people and the brutal military regime in the country.
The newspaper's report indicated that the month of Ramadan comes this year at a time when the country is witnessing many economic problems, a shortage of wheat and an increase in the prices of basic materials.
The newspaper said that few Sudanese can remember an era in which their country suffered a bleak situation like the one it is going through now, where the value of the currency is in continuous decline after it lost more than a quarter of its value since October of last year, while the inflation rate reached, according to official departments. to 260%.
According to the United Nations World Food Program, about 9 million people in Sudan are facing "severe famine" and this number may double by September.
The capital, Khartoum, is witnessing daily anti-regime protests that sometimes face a violent response by the security forces, which has resulted in the killing of about 90 people during the past five months, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper's report attributed the difficult economic and security conditions in Sudan to the military coup led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in October 2021, which disrupted the path to democracy in the country.
The Economist said that the Sudanese people, who rose up three years ago to oust the regime of dictator Omar al-Bashir, had hoped to build a prosperous democratic state, but instead are now mired in a political crisis, a shrinking economy and escalating violence.
The newspaper reported a comment by Volker Peretz, the United Nations Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, during a session of the United Nations Security Council last month, in which he said that these crises “threaten the existence of Sudan” and that “unless the current course is corrected, the country (Sudan) is heading towards collapse.” economic and security, and great human suffering.”
The newspaper pointed out that Al-Burhan's coup caused the suspension of most of the aid, amounting to tens of billions of dollars, which Western donors and multilateral banks had pledged to provide to Sudan after the revolution to support the democratic transition.
America, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund have halted the flow of at least $1.4 billion in aid.
The Sovereignty Council, which leads the country and is controlled by the military, also raised the generous support it was providing to reduce wheat and fuel prices, which led to an increase in the prices of wheat and basic materials.
The newspaper also pointed out that the Russian war on Ukraine exacerbated the economic problems in Sudan, which imports more than 80% of its wheat needs from Russia and Ukraine.
The conflict has interrupted those imports, causing the price of wheat in local markets to rise to more than $550 per ton last month, an increase of 180 percent over last year.