Sudan Fuel Crisis: Port Sudan Fares Jump as Queues Stretch for Hours

Port Sudan transport fares jumped sharply this month after the national Transport Chambers Union raised intercity bus prices by 40% and minibus rates by 30%. The hikes respond to persistent fuel shortages that have squeezed drivers, cleaners, and traders. Azhari Mohamed, a 60-year-old minibus driver in Port Sudan, now works two days and spends a third waiting in line. He makes seven round trips daily from the Shagar neighborhood to the city center, burning three gallons of petrol. A single wait at the pump can exceed five hours, and he sometimes reaches the end of the queue only to find the fuel has run out.

The scarcity has driven prices up across regions. A gallon of petrol costs 35,000 Sudanese pounds, or $3.80, in Port Sudan, while it sells for 40,000 pounds, or $4.30, in Gazira State. Mohamed’s daily fuel bill is approximately 105,000 pounds, or $11.30. After covering operating costs, he takes home about 50,000 pounds, or $5.40, to support his wife and a daughter in university. He told Al Jazeera, "We just need fuel to be available so we can work."

Passengers face steep increases in travel costs. Aziza Ibrahim, a 38-year-old cleaner in Port Sudan, has reduced her work schedule to three days a week to manage expenses. Before the war, her trip to the main city center station cost 700 pounds. Fares on various routes now range from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds. She spends 11,000 pounds, or $1.18, on a daily round trip. Transport consumes nearly half of her 400,000-pound monthly salary, which is equivalent to $43. She also pays for diabetes treatment and sometimes borrows money to reach work, repaying the loan when she is paid.

The economic pressure traces back to the conflict that began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The United Nations Development Programme reports that average incomes have fallen to levels last seen in the 1990s. The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum estimated war-related losses at $20 billion last year. The World Bank noted that attacks on the Balila oil field disrupted supplies to the Khartoum refinery. That facility previously met about 60% of national demand for petrol and liquefied petroleum gas.

Sudan now relies on imports while a global fuel crisis raises prices for gas, petrol, and diesel. Economic analyst Sidi Ohaj said government rules for importers have worsened the shortage. Importers must deposit 200kg of gold in the Central Bank and own fuel storage facilities. Some failed to comply and exited the market. Ohaj stated, "This reduced supply relative to demand." He urged the government to ease import procedures urgently. He also cited drone attacks on infrastructure and the ongoing war between the United States and Iran as factors disrupting global energy markets.

Businesses in Omdurman are absorbing higher costs. Ahmed al-Haj, a trader who packages skincare products, said higher diesel and petrol prices have increased the cost of moving a tonne of goods by 30 to 50 percent. He passes these increases to consumers through higher product prices. When power cuts force him to use a fuel-powered generator, his daily expenses rise further. Local deliveries in Omdurman that cost 5,000 pounds, or $0.70, now run 10,000 to 12,000 pounds, or $1.07 to $1.29. Reaching customers in other states has become impossible for many.

Transport and distribution workers are making fewer trips, causing goods to pile up at traders' premises. Al-Haj noted that the inability to move inventory efficiently is stalling sales. The combination of high fuel costs, regulatory hurdles, and global market disruptions has created a tight supply chain for essential goods. Drivers and traders continue to adjust their schedules and prices to cope with the current conditions.