Sudanese refugees fetch water at the Gorom refugee settlement on the outskirts of Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)Sudan's economy has been in freefall. The Ministry of Finance said in May 2024 that key productive sectors were paralyzed, exports had halted, the national currency devalued, and government revenues plunged by 80 percent.by Fayez ElzakiKHARTOUM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- In front of his small store in the Um Dawanban area, east of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Mubarak Abdul-Salam has put up simple decorations -- colorful, illuminated crescents and moons -- to mark the arrival of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Forced to flee his home in Ed Hussein, southern Khartoum, Abdul-Salam resettled in Um Dawanban, where he opened a small grocery store. Yet in this new place, the scars of war are still everywhere: Charred buildings, bullet-riddled walls and rubble-strewn streets stand as stark reminders of the recent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)."Even though sadness weighs heavily on us, we try to bring some joy and remind people of the spiritual significance of Ramadan," said Abdul-Salam, his voice tinged with sorrow as he sorted goods on the shelves.Customers are scarce, scared by the war as well as soaring prices.According to Abdul-Salam, a sack of millet now costs 200,000 Sudanese pounds (roughly 80 U.S. dollars on the parallel market), up from 40,000 before the war erupted in mid-April 2023. The price of a sack of maize has soared from 30,000 pounds in 2023 to 150,000 pounds, while sugar now costs 2,500 pounds per kg, up from 600. Cooking oil has also skyrocketed to 5,000 pounds per liter from just 1,200.The sharp depreciation of the Sudanese pound has further worsened living conditions. One U.S. dollar now trades for 2,500 pounds on the black market, compared to around 580 pounds before the conflict began.With Ramadan underway, markets in Port Sudan, now the country's commercial hub, remain subdued, with fewer shops offering traditional products.Time-honored Ramadan traditions have all but disappeared. The usual processions, storefront decorations, and the "El Mesaharaty" -- drummers waking people for the pre-dawn meal -- are absent due to security concerns and curfews."The atmosphere of Ramadan here is completely different from what we were used to in Khartoum," said 35-year-old Khalid Hassan, attributing the change to war, insecurity and economic hardship."I feel deeply saddened by our economic situation, which has prevented us from preparing for Ramadan as we once did. It is part of our traditions and values," said 50-year-old Faiza Al-Nour, who was displaced from southern Khartoum in June 2023 and now resides in a shelter in south Port Sudan."I'm roasting one kilogram of coffee beans because I couldn't afford more," she said, sitting on a wooden stool as she stirred the roasting beans.In November 2024, Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission reported that 28.9 million people in Sudan needed humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing war. By January 2025, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had raised that figure to 30.4 million.Sudanese refugees do laundry at the Gorom refugee settlement on the outskirts of Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)Sudan's economy has been in freefall. The Ministry of Finance said in May 2024 that key productive sectors were paralyzed, exports had halted, the national currency devalued, and government revenues plunged by 80 percent. Since then, no further updates have been provided on the full extent of the war's economic toll.The conflict has not only disrupted the flow of imported goods but also hindered the transportation of local agricultural products, exacerbating food insecurity."During last year's mango harvest season, crops were damaged in several areas because producers could not get their products to the main markets," said Abdul-Qadir Abdoun, a member of the Northern Sudan Farmers' Union."There are increasing difficulties due to the war, particularly the separation of production areas from major markets because of insecurity, road closures and high transportation costs," he explained.According to Abdoun, northern Sudanese farmers suffered heavy losses earlier this year when they couldn't transport their potato harvest to major markets due to soaring transportation costs. As a result, they could only sell their crops locally at prices too low to cover production costs.