Sudan war and inflation leave families struggling to survive in Khartoum

Families in Sudan's capital are struggling to keep up with sharply rising food prices and falling incomes as the country's war grinds on. In Khartoum, residents described daily routines shaped by uncertainty, debt and skipped meals as they try to feed children and cover basic costs. The pressure is especially severe for households with relatives on the front lines or without stable work.

One woman, Rasha Abdelaziz Musa, said she works seven hours a day selling tea and still cannot be sure she can feed her four children by the end of the day. Her husband, a member of the Sudanese military, has been on the front lines for more than eight months in the war between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and she said she has not heard from him for months or received money from him. Musa said feeding her family costs about 40,000 Sudanese pounds a day, before rent and other essentials, and that she often ends the day owing money to traders.

Other residents described similar strain. Ahmed Youssef, who supports a family of 12 through work in a butcher's shop and occasional livestock deals, said his household spends more than 100,000 Sudanese pounds a day and that his income is no longer enough. Ali Fadil, who supports a family of 10 and has no permanent job, said he sometimes earns enough to buy food and on other days finds no work at all.

He said his daily expenses reach about 70,000 pounds and that he sometimes skips meals to pay school fees or medical costs. The accounts point to the wider economic damage caused by Sudan's conflict, which has displaced livelihoods and made ordinary household budgeting increasingly difficult. Even where people are still working, wages and informal earnings are being eroded by fast-changing prices and the cost of essentials.

For families in Khartoum, the war is not only a security crisis but also a daily struggle to secure food, schooling and healthcare. The conflict between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces has been under way since 2023, and the strain on civilians has deepened as the fighting has continued. The war has split attention between the battlefield and the survival of households that depend on irregular income, remittances or support from relatives.

In this case, the absence of a wage-earning family member has left one household entirely dependent on a tea-selling income that no longer stretches far enough. The food items mentioned by residents also show how families are adapting to inflation. Musa said her household relies on ful medames, or stewed fava beans, and lentils, but switches to taamiya, or falafel sandwiches, when lentils become too expensive.

Such substitutions suggest not only rising prices but also a narrowing range of affordable staples. The result is a pattern of borrowing, reduced meals and constant recalculation of what can be bought each day. The situation also highlights the pressure on children and education.

Musa's children attend kindergarten, primary school and secondary school, while Youssef said older children sometimes have to work to help meet expenses. Fadil said school fees compete directly with food and medical costs, forcing him to choose between immediate needs. These trade-offs show how inflation can push families into longer-term hardship even when they remain in the city and continue to work.

What remains unclear is how many households in Khartoum are facing the same level of strain, or whether prices and incomes will stabilise in the near term. The accounts provided describe individual families rather than a full survey, but they offer a clear picture of the pressure on urban households living through war and inflation. The key question now is whether any improvement in security, wages or food supply will ease the burden on families already relying on debt and skipped meals.

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