Nyala, September 23 (Darfur24)
Traders in Nyala, South Darfur, complained on Monday of stagnation in commercial activity, with citizens showing little interest in buying and selling.
Abu Bakr al-Zein, a flour dealer in Nyala’s Market, told Darfur24 that demand from citizens and bakery owners has sharply declined this September, despite stable prices of essential food items such as sugar, flour, rice, lentils, and cooking oil.
Habib Youssef, a trader, attributed the slump to the farming season, when many residents leave for rural areas, as well as to cash shortages and the closure of banks due to the war. Nyala has also witnessed a surge in transfer fees on the Bank of Khartoum’s “Bankak” app, the primary channel for financial transactions.
Residents said dire living conditions and the suspension of salaries have forced many families to cut back on purchases, relying instead on remittances from relatives outside Nyala. They stressed that trade remains the city’s only source of income, but it requires capital that is out of reach for most.
Local authorities recently reopened Nyala’s Market after a two-year closure. Meanwhile, the Presidential Council of the Alliance for the Establishment of the City of Nyala has designated the city as the administrative capital of the parallel government aligned with the army.