Sudan’s currency has hit a new low as the Sudanese pound breached 6,000 per US dollar on the parallel market, following the government’s decision to raise the official customs exchange rate by nearly 6 percent.
The customs authorities raised the official dollar rate to 3,960.24 Sudanese pounds, up 5.79 percent from the previous valuation of 3,743.23. However, the parallel market rate has diverged dramatically, with banks including the Bank of Khartoum maintaining official rates between 3,550 and 3,576 pounds per dollar.
The euro climbed above 7,000 Sudanese pounds on the parallel market, while the British pound rose past 8,200, according to reports from Khartoum. Economists warn the widening gap between official and parallel exchange rates threatens to fuel further price increases and deepen the country’s economic collapse.
The currency slide is compounding the devastation of Sudan’s civil war, now in its fourth year. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has destroyed critical infrastructure, disrupted trade routes, and caused widespread displacement, leaving the formal economy in ruins.
Sudan’s central bank has struggled to maintain currency stability as the war has effectively split the country into competing zones of control. The RSF’s hold over Darfur and parts of Kordofan has further complicated economic governance, with parallel trade networks and informal markets increasingly determining real exchange rates.
The import levy increase is expected to drive up prices for basic goods, including food and medicine, in a country where the UN estimates nearly 26 million people face acute food insecurity. Aid organizations have warned that rising costs are making it increasingly difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance.
The economic deterioration mirrors the broader humanitarian catastrophe, with over 14 million people displaced and famine declared in multiple areas. International efforts to mediate a ceasefire have repeatedly stalled, with the RSF-backed coalition rejecting peace consultations as recently as late July.
Sources: Sudan Tribune, The Sudan Times, The Sudan Times
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