Sudan war and inflation leave families struggling to survive in Khartoum

What the report says

Families in Khartoum are being squeezed by Sudan’s war and fast-rising prices, according to an Al Jazeera report published on 28 October 2026. The article describes how residents in the capital are struggling to afford basic food, even as some businesses reopen and displaced people return to the city. The pressures are especially acute for households that have lost steady income because of the conflict between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in 2023.

Al Jazeera highlighted several families trying to cope with irregular work and absent breadwinners. One tea seller, Rasha Abdelaziz Musa, said she works long days to support four children while her husband remains on the front lines and has not sent money for months. Other residents interviewed said they rely on uncertain daily wages, skip meals, borrow from traders or use older children’s earnings to cover food, school fees and medical costs.

The report also said prices for staples such as sugar, cooking oil, bread, lentils, rice and powdered milk had risen sharply in Khartoum markets over a matter of days, while the Sudanese pound weakened on the parallel market. Official statistics cited by Al Jazeera showed high annual inflation nationwide, with food prices rising even faster and Khartoum among the hardest-hit areas.

The article places the hardship in a broader context of war damage, damaged infrastructure, transport bottlenecks, fuel shortages and displaced people returning to an already strained capital. It also notes that Sudan’s economy has been weakened by years of instability, and that many households are now selling possessions or exhausting savings to survive.