Importers’ Chamber Holds Sudanese Government Responsible for Currency Collapse and Rising Prices

The Sudanese Importers’ Chamber has held the government responsible for rising prices and the continued depreciation of the national currency following its decision to ban the import of dozens of goods.

The Sudanese pound fell to record lows, with the U.S. dollar trading at around SDG 4,700 on Wednesday, marking one of the sharpest declines in the currency’s history. The collapse has been driven by the ongoing war, declining exports, and a widening gap between imports and exports.

The National Chamber of Importers called on the government to immediately revoke the import ban on a number of goods, arguing that the measure has failed to achieve its stated objective of stabilizing the exchange rate and has instead contributed to higher prices and reduced public revenues.

The chamber’s chairman, Al-Sadiq Jalal Al-Din Saleh, said that “facts and figures have demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the decision,” noting that the chamber had previously warned, through a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, of the economic repercussions associated with its implementation.

He explained that the decision overlooked what he described as the real causes behind the decline of the Sudanese pound, namely currency speculation and the significant increase in demand for foreign exchange, and instead sought to address the consequences of the crisis rather than its root causes.

Saleh further warned that the measure could encourage the expansion of informal economic activities and smuggling to compensate for expected shortages in the market, particularly given the country’s numerous border crossings. He argued that the primary beneficiaries of the import ban are a limited number of groups profiting at the expense of consumers and public revenues.