Sudan’s soaring fuel prices make getting by harder for workers
Sudan is suffering from a cost-of-living crisis affecting millions across the country.
Azhari Mohamed drives his minibus and eight passengers seven times a day from the Shagar neighbourhood in the Port of Sudan to the city centre and back again.
But despite the long hours – working from 6am to 9pm – fuel shortages in the city have made it difficult for the 60-year-old to make a living.
Azhari’s minibus uses three gallons (11 litres) of petrol a day, costing him about 105,000 Sudanese pounds ($11.30 a day, according to Sudan’s parallel-market exchange rate). With fuel increasingly difficult to obtain, he now spends two days on the road and a third day queuing for fuel.
“Sometimes I have to borrow money just to be able to go to work. I repay it at the beginning of the month when I receive my salary, which is barely enough to cover my family’s needs,” she told Al Jazeera.