Sudan’s Coup-hit Economy in Free Fall as Prices Bite

Sudan’s Coup-hit Economy in Free Fall as Prices Bite

Sudanese schoolteacher Babiker Mohamed barely covers his family's needs with his meagre income, but since last year's military coup he no longer knows if he can even keep afloat.

Like many in Sudan, Mohamed has been grappling with shortages in basic goods, as well as new taxes and steep price hikes on fuel, electricity and food since an October military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, AFP said.

"I used to buy 20 loaves of bread at 100 Sudanese pounds before the coup," Mohamed, who provides for a family of six, told AFP.

"Bread alone now costs me around 27,000 pounds a month which is like 90 percent of my salary" of about 30,000 pounds (or $50), he said.

"I don't know if I can afford to send my children to school anymore."

Mohamed joined teachers who went on strike this week against the worsening living conditions.

Sudan's latest coup upended a transition painstakingly negotiated between civilian and military leaders following the 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir, whose rule was marked by crippling US sanctions and international isolation.

It also triggered international condemnation and punitive measures, with the United States, World Bank and International Monetary Fund suspending badly needed aid to the impoverished country.

Sudanese