KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s annual inflation accelerated by 23.05% in August to 166.83% from 143.78% in July, driven by food and transportation prices, the state statistics office said on Monday.
Inflation in the country has risen in recent years, driven by food, beverages, fuel and a black market for U.S. dollars, and was a factor in driving out autocrat Omar al-Bashir last year.
Since his ousting, the economy has worsened as a weak transitional government has struggled to start economic reforms and proved unable to halt a fall of the Sudanese pound on the black market.
Sudan declared an economic state of emergency on Thursday after its currency fell sharply in recent weeks, setting up special courts to prosecute what officials called a “systematic operation” to vandalize the economy.
Reporting by Ali Mirghani; writing by Mahmoud Mourad; editing by Louise Heavens