Dilling, January 31 (Darfur24)
Trade convoys carrying food supplies entered the city of Dilling on Friday morning, reviving local markets after a siege that lasted nearly three years and caused severe shortages and soaring prices.
Dilling, in South Kordofan State, had been under blockade by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North. On Monday, January 26, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced that the siege had been lifted following fierce battles along the city’s eastern axis.
Osman Kajur Osman, a trader, told Darfur24 that five commercial trucks arrived in the city from Kartala village in the Six Mountains area, transporting quantities of basic food commodities.
He said markets have begun to see a noticeable improvement in the availability of goods, accompanied by a sharp drop in food prices compared to the siege period, which was marked by scarcity and soaring costs. He added that the reopening of the road has also allowed the return of goods that had completely disappeared from the markets during the siege, including onions and spices.
According to Osman, the price of a sack of sorghum has fallen to around 40,000 Sudanese pounds, after ranging between 800,000 and 900,000 pounds during the siege. One kilogram of sugar has dropped from 16,000 pounds to about 3,000 pounds, he noted.
Residents of Dilling expressed hope that the regular flow of commercial trucks would help stabilize markets and improve living conditions after years of hardship, as the prolonged siege severely affected food security and basic health services in the city.