Referendum Causes Commodity Price Increases In Aweil, Sudan

Commodity prices have shot up in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State capital Aweil as the referendum got underway.

At Aweil town market, the central market for all traders in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, commodity prices have gone higher due to high demand as people flock the town to vote in the Southern Sudan referendum.

A trader at the market Al Hadi Hamed told Gurtong that many people have moved to the town to cast their votes, hence the strain of available supplies.

In the new rates, a bag of sugar that was sold at SDG 180 now goes for SDG 240, soda and mineral water cost SDG 3 up from SDG 2 while a bag of maize flour now costs SDG 180 up from the previous SDG 140.

Fuel prices have also skyrocketed with a litre of diesel going for SDG 3.3 up from SDG 1.7 while a litre of petrol costs SDG 8 up from SDG 5.

Several traders interviewed by Gurtong in Aweil town said they have increased the prices because the wholesalers who have been supplying them with goods from the north have terminated their supplies.

However, the state residents are blaming the local government administrators for failing to implement price guidelines to prevent exploitation by the traders.

“Every trader increases the price of any goods according to his or her own wish and we have no control over that”, said a resident who preferred anonymity.

The current influx of a huge number of returnees has also contributed to the price increments.