Bread shortage threatens to plunge more Sudanese into hunger

Khartoum, Sudan is grappling with a severe bread shortage as soaring wheat prices and fuel shortages push bakeries to close their doors. Sawsan Mahmoud, a 44-year-old mother of three, says her family now spends their entire combined salary on just one loaf of bread each day. The price of a loaf in the capital has doubled from 250 to 500 Sudanese pounds in the past week.

International organizations warn of a potential famine, as around 20 million people in Sudan already face severe food insecurity. Sudan relies heavily on wheat imports, making the country vulnerable to currency fluctuations. The Sudanese pound has lost over 25% of its value against the dollar in the past month, reaching a record low of over 10,500 pounds to the dollar.

Many bakeries cannot source flour due to market conditions, and power cuts have further compounded the problem. People in Khartoum are turning to public kitchens for free meals, with the Ombada Emergency Room warning of an expanding circle of need. The economic crisis in Sudan, marked by 80% poverty and 99% inflation, threatens to deepen the hunger crisis, which already affects over 200,000 people in South Kordofan and North Darfur.