Al-Daein, March 05 (Darfur24)
Fuel markets in the Darfur and Kordofan states, areas largely under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, have recorded a sharp rise in prices just two days after the outbreak of war in the Middle East, according to traders and local sources.
Hassan Al-Taj, a fuel truck owner in East Darfur, told Darfur24 that prices jumped by nearly 40 percent within hours, citing disruptions to regional supply chains linked to the escalating conflict.
He attributed the increase to higher prices in the Al-Na’am border market between Sudan and South Sudan, which serves as a primary supply route for fuel and petroleum products to Darfur and large parts of Kordofan.
The region is heavily dependent on fuel transported from Gulf countries through the Port of Mombasa in Kenya via South Sudan, particularly as western Sudan remains cut off from central and eastern states controlled by the army.
Mahmoud Hussein, a fuel trader in Al-Daein, said the price of a barrel of gasoline rose to 2,000 Sudanese pounds from 1,200 pounds, while a barrel of diesel reached 2,000 pounds, up from around 1,250 pounds.
Retail prices also climbed sharply, with a gallon of gasoline selling for about 40,000 pounds compared to 25,000 previously, and diesel rising to 45,000 pounds per gallon, up from 25,000 pounds.
Since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF, trade between army-controlled regions in central, northern, and eastern Sudan and RSF-controlled western states has largely halted, increasing reliance on fuel imports through South Sudan.