Sudan vows to bring down inflation as war fuels hardships

Sudan has vowed to bring its eye-watering inflation rate below 60 percent by the end of 2026, as three years of war leave people struggling to put food on the table.

The country has grappled with triple-digit inflation for years, but since war broke out between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, the already fragile economy has been devastated.

With the US-Iran war also sending energy prices soaring worldwide, Sudan, one of the globe's poorest countries, has an uphill battle to curb rising costs.

Speaking at a meeting with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim said "we aim to reduce inflation to no more than 60 percent by the end of 2026".

"The indicators suggest that this is achievable," he added.

Inflation stood at 99 percent in 2025, following a peak of 176 percent in 2024, according to Ibrahim, whose remarks were broadcast on state television.

This month, the exchange rate for the Sudanese pound soared past 8,000 to the dollar, 16 times the pre-war rate.

Rare protests broke out in the southeastern state of Gedaref this week against rising prices.

Sudanese people, facing the world's largest hunger and displacement crises, can hardly make ends meet, even in areas safe from the fighting.

"Before the war, my salary and that of my husband -- who works for a government agency -- were enough for us," Samia Mohammed, a former factory worker in Khartoum, told AFP.

But after losing her job and facing ballooning prices, "we have to live on a single salary, and it isn't enough to cover even half the month".

"Prices change daily based on the dollar rate," added Khartoum grocer Ibrahim Mohammad Ahmed.

"People are making do with very little and forgoing some essentials."

The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions and collapsed the economy.

A report by the Sudan Teachers' Committee says a small family requires the equivalent of $600 per month to meet their needs. By contrast, teachers earn a monthly salary of around $19.

Despite Sudan's wealth in gold and agricultural land, about 200,000 people in the country are suffering through famine, according to UN-backed reports.

Agricultural exports have plummeted by 43 percent as the RSF controls swaths of productive land, specifically in the states of West Darfur and South Kordofan.