The deficit in the trade balance for the first quarter of this year rose to $1.22 billion, an increase of nearly two times over the same period last year when the deficit was $477 million, further threatening Sudan's economy.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Khardiata Lô N’Diaye, has announced a grant of $20 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Sudan. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will receive US$12 million, the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) $7 million, with the World Food Programme (WFP) receiving $1 million to provide logistic support.
The Wali (governor) of Sudan’s Northern State has issued an emergency order banning the transfer of locally produced wheat out of the state. This amid concerns of a general shortage and soaring prices of wheat in Sudan, which is dependent on imports from the Black Sea region, currently disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
The first days of 2022 saw the final collapse of the already tenuous political agreement that reinstated Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok after a period of house arrest following the military coup d’état of October 25 last year.
On January 2, PM Hamdok announced his resignation in a televised address to the Sudanese people. Hamdok underlined that he was unable to combine all the components of the transition to reach a unified vision, describing the crisis in the country as political, but it gradually, includes all aspects of economic and social life.
The official rate of the US Dollar maintained its level at SDG 445.39 for purchase and SDG 448.73 for sale on Monday, according to the website of the Central Bank of Sudan. The price of the Dollar fell slightly on the parallel market on Tuesday, to reach SDG570, compared to SDG575 the day before. Public transportation and taxi drivers in North Darfur denounced the state government’s failure to implement the decision to reduce the price of fuel, as has occurred in other states.