Rasha Abdelaziz Musa works every day for seven hours selling tea.
asserted
Musa → work → tea
But by the time she finishes for the day at 10pm, she’s still unsure if she has enough to feed her four children.
asserted
she → finish → children
Musa, 39, is doing her best, but her earnings are increasingly no longer enough to cover soaring food prices in the Sudanese capital.
asserted
earnings → do → capital
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Her husband, a member of the Sudanese military, has spent more than eight months on the front lines of the country’s war, in which the military has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since 2023.
asserted
military → kill → 2023
Musa has not heard from him for months, and he has sent no money.
asserted
he → hear → money
In his absence, Musa has been left to provide for their children, who attend kindergarten, primary and secondary school.
asserted
who → leave → kindergarten
Musa told Al Jazeera that feeding her family costs about 40,000 Sudanese pounds per day ($4 at the parallel-market exchange rate) before accounting for rent, household essentials and other expenses.
asserted
feeding → tell → rent
When lentils are too expensive, Musa serves taamiya, or falafel, sandwiches.
asserted
Musa → serve → sandwiches
Prices regularly change, and Musa often ends the day in debt to the traders she gets her food from.
asserted
she → change → food
Large families struggle
Musa is not alone in struggling to cover her family’s daily expenses.
asserted
Musa → struggle → expenses
Ahmed Youssef, 61, supports a family of 12 through his work in a butcher’s shop and as an occasional intermediary in livestock sales.
asserted
Youssef → support → sales
He can earn 90,000 to 140,000 pounds ($9 to $14) when a deal succeeds, but that income is irregular.
asserted
income → earn → pounds
He told Al Jazeera that his household spends more than 100,000 Sudanese pounds ($10) daily and his income is no longer enough to support the family.
asserted
income → tell → family
“One income is no longer enough to cover the family’s needs, and sometimes my older children have to work to help meet expenses,” Youssef told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Youssef → cover → Jazeera
Ali Fadil supports a family of 10.
asserted
Fadil → support → 10
Without a permanent job, he goes to the market each morning to look for work.
asserted
he → go → work
Some days, the 57-year-old earns enough to buy food, but on other days, he finds no work at all.
asserted
he → earn → work
And yet his daily expenses still reach about 70,000 pounds ($7), with rising prices adding to the financial pressure he faces.
asserted
he → reach → pressure
“Sometimes I skip meals so I can pay for school fees or medical costs,” he said.
asserted
he → skip → fees
“I also borrow money to meet other obligations.”
asserted
I → borrow → obligations
Food prices rise as Sudanese pound weakens
A survey of four local markets in the Khartoum State area by Al Jazeera last week found that prices for several essential foods had risen sharply within days, making it increasingly difficult for families to plan their spending.
asserted
families → rise → spending
A kilogramme (2.2.lb) of sugar cost about 10,000 pounds ($1), up from 9,000 pounds ($0.90) two days earlier.
asserted
kilogramme → cost → pounds
A litre (1 quart) of cooking oil rose to 25,000 pounds ($2.50) from 20,000 pounds ($2) while a loaf of bread costs 500 pounds ($0.05), compared with 300 pounds ($0.03) a week earlier.
asserted
loaf → rise → pounds
Lentils cost about 10,000 pounds ($1) per kilogramme, up from 8,000 pounds ($0.80), and rice was priced at 13,000 pounds ($1.30) per kilogramme, up from 10,000 pounds ($1).
asserted
rice → cost → pounds
Powdered milk reached 70,000 pounds ($7) per kilogramme, up from 60,000 ($6) two days earlier.
asserted
milk → powder → 60,000
The Sudanese pound has also continued to weaken.
asserted
pound → continue → ?
According to exchange rates monitored by Al Jazeera, $1 was trading at 10,050 Sudanese pounds on the parallel market on Friday, compared with 9,500 the previous day.
uncertain
1 → accord → 9,500
Food inflation adds to pressure on households
Official figures offer further evidence of the rising cost of living, particularly in Khartoum and other urban areas.
asserted
figures → add → Khartoum
According to Sudan’s Central Bureau of Statistics, prices across the country were 28 percent higher in September than a year earlier, up from 26 percent in August.
uncertain
prices → accord → August
Prices rose by 7.5 percent in September alone, more than double the increase recorded the previous month.
asserted
Prices → rise → September
Food prices have risen even faster.
asserted
prices → rise → ?
Across Sudan, food and beverages cost nearly 37 percent more in September than a year earlier, up from an annual increase of about 21 percent in August.
asserted
food → cost → August
In September alone, food prices jumped by more than 17 percent.
asserted
prices → jump → percent
Prices rose by more than 15 percent in September alone, following an increase of nearly 9 percent in August.
asserted
Prices → rise → August
That sharp increase comes as the capital region struggles to recover from widespread destruction caused by the war.
asserted
region → come → war
Although displaced residents have begun returning and businesses are gradually reopening since the military recaptured the state from the RSF last year, damaged infrastructure and rising transport costs continue to constrain the availability of goods.
asserted
infrastructure → displace → goods
The return of residents has also increased demand for essential supplies, further driving up prices.
asserted
return → increase → prices
In September, fuel shortages hit the capital as consumption rose faster than supplies could be replenished.
uncertain
supplies → hit → capital
Urban areas have generally been hit harder than rural communities.
asserted
areas → hit → communities
Overall, prices in urban areas rose by 40 percent over the past year, compared with about 21 percent in rural areas.
asserted
prices → rise → areas
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
