Fuel shortages have returned to Khartoum and several other Sudanese states, forcing motorists into long queues as petrol stations suspend sales and authorities introduce fresh price increases, Radio Dabanga reported.
The disruption coincides with a 9.7 percent increase in the exchange rate used to calculate customs duties, adding to concerns over rising import costs.
A Khartoum resident told Dabanga that some stations stopped selling fuel after reports circulated of impending increases in fuel prices and the customs exchange rate.
He said residents suspected some operators were withholding existing stocks until higher prices took effect. The report did not independently establish whether stations were deliberately hoarding supplies.
Shortages were affecting both petrol and diesel across parts of the capital, the resident said, amid expectations of increases of between 5,000 and 6,000 Sudanese pounds per gallon.
He described a recurring cycle of shortages, station closures and price adjustments, with motorists spending days searching for supplies.
Even a relatively short disruption could last around nine days, he said, while queues could leave drivers waiting for up to 12 hours. Others resorted to buying fuel on the black market at higher prices.
The resident said similar patterns dated back to around 2018, during the rule of ousted president Omar al-Bashir.
Meanwhile, authorities have announced new fuel prices in Red Sea, Kassala, Northern and White Nile states, with acute shortages reported in several of them.
In Kassala, the reported petrol price rose to 36,216 Sudanese pounds per gallon. Residents said queues had reappeared as stations on both sides of the city suspended sales or ran out of fuel.
In Port Sudan, diesel reached 36,976 pounds per gallon and petrol rose to 31,801 pounds following adjustments to petroleum product prices.
Northern state raised petrol prices to 36,700 pounds per gallon. In White Nile state, authorities set the price at 38,805 pounds in Kosti, Rabak, Al-Qutaynah and Al-Duwaym, with additional transport charges applied in other localities.
The increases come as the customs exchange rate rose on September 12 from 3,960.24 to 4,346.65 Sudanese pounds per dollar, according to the report.
The adjustment — the fourth reported this year — is expected to raise import costs by increasing the local-currency value used to assess customs duties.
On September 2, customs authorities had denied reports that the rate had risen to 4,960.24 pounds, saying the applicable rate remained 3,960.24 pounds under Finance Ministry policy. The latest adjustment took effect 10 days later, at a lower level than the figure previously denied.
For motorists, the combination of higher prices and unreliable supplies is prolonging the search for fuel, with costs varying between states partly because of transport charges.
