In Atar’s issue no. 32, under the “Price Bulletin” section, an Atar correspondent reported an alarming surge in the prices of food and basic goods in the markets of Al-Fashir. This follow-up report investigates the causes behind the scarcity and inflation, accompanied by an updated price index.
One year into the siege of Al-Fashir, the city’s residents have been forced to consume “umbaz”, a by-product typically fed to livestock, as a means of survival. Once reserved for cattle, umbaz has now become a staple for humans due to the astronomical rise in food prices, shortages of essential goods, and a severe cash crisis.
In the earlier phases of the siege, residents subsisted on red lentils, sorghum, and pasta. But even these modest staples were later banned by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who tightened the blockade by imposing harsh penalties on truck drivers, from hefty fines and confiscation of goods to arbitrary detention or even summary execution.
In a desperate bid to bring in supplies, some turned to donkeys and camels, navigating unpaved routes. Yet the RSF countered by digging trenches north of the city, obstructing both vehicles and animals. With essentials like pasta, red lentils, sorghum, and millet either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, the city now relies on lightweight goods smuggled in on foot.
Umbaz refers to the oil cake remnants of sesame and other oilseeds after pressing, often shaped into dense disks. Commonly used as animal fodder, it may be derived from sesame, peanuts, sunflower seeds, cottonseeds, or blends thereof. While often dark brown in colour, it contains residual oil and is exported in large quantities—sometimes reprocessed abroad for its remaining oil content. Empty shelves, ruthless punishment
The city’s entire food economy hinges precariously on the number of camels or donkeys arriving: prices drop if thirty arrive; they soar if only ten do.
Yousif Abdel-Gader, merchant
According to merchant Yousif Abdel-Gader, the dramatic spike in food prices is directly tied to the complete depletion of market stock, a consequence of the RSF’s siege. All entry and exit points have been sealed off, and humanitarian aid is entirely blocked. Merchants now depend on smuggling goods via pack animals from Milliet in the north or Tawila in the west. The city’s entire food economy hinges precariously on the number of camels or donkeys arriving: prices drop if thirty arrive; they soar if only ten do.
Smugglers, Yousif added, face violent reprisals. Many are shot, beaten, or have their goods confiscated, at best. Some traders have hoarded small quantities of supplies, often no more than 30 sacks per commodity, leveraging scarcity for astronomical profits. Wholesale trade has collapsed, and the city’s markets have largely shut down, except for Nivasha Camp Market, which operates for limited hours and remains exposed to heavy shelling.
In a parallel economic tragedy, cash has become a commodity. Traders now sell money at half its face value and require transfers via the “Bankak” app three days in advance before releasing physical cash. Still, residents are compelled to purchase irreplaceable staples like millet, no matter the cost.
From red lentils to animal feed
Besieged in the starving city, a woman takes this photo of herself and her family as they eat Umbaz.
Ali Adam, 45, a mobilised volunteer, was once determined to remain in Al-Fashir “until the end”, but after two straight months of surviving solely on red lentils sweetened with juice and a pinch of salt, serving as both breakfast and lunch, he finally fled. As prices soared, he turned to umbaz.
Umbaz became our porridge and stew… It’s inedible, honestly, but hunger distorts everything.
Ali Adam, volunteer
“Umbaz became our porridge and stew. We would cook a thinner mix with some salt for sauce, then prepare a thicker version as a base, and eat both. It’s inedible, honestly, but hunger distorts everything,” Adam told Atar.
He described a city in flux, where food prices change by the hour and daily violence is now routine. Since the RSF entrenched the city’s northern border to prevent smugglers from bringing in supplies, Al-Fashir has endured its darkest chapter yet, suffering sustained shelling, repeated assaults, and a coordinated campaign of starvation.
Trader Ismail Abdalla, who left the profession a year ago, blames the collapse of the market on widespread usury and cash exploitation, where items are sold at multiple times their value on the Bankak platform. Abdalla noted that even risk-taking smugglers demand exorbitant fees, up to 100,000 SDG for a sack of sugar, yet these attempts are also waning due to the northern trench blockade. The result? Only ultralight items like cigarettes and powdered juices can be smuggled in, carried by hand or strapped to backs.
Communal kitchens go silent
In May, one kitchen cost 660,000 SDG per day to operate. Today, that figure has climbed to nearly two million, just to serve red lentils or millet.
Namarig Ibrahim, community kitchen organizer
Namarig Ibrahim, founder of the Goumat Banat Al-Fasher “Rise of the Girls of Al-Fashir” initiative, told Atar that following the fall of Zamzam IDP camp and the RSF’s full lockdown of the city, food prices began rising hourly.
In May, they intended to buy two sacks of lentils per kitchen for their 20 community kitchens, at 550,000 SDG per sack. But after a short delay in transferring funds, the price surged to 700,000 SDG, forcing them to halve both the kitchen count and the number of meal days. A week later, the price passed one million SDG, effectively shutting them down.
They turned to cheaper sorghum, initially at 200,000 SDG per sack, only to see that rise to 550,000 shortly after. Some supplies, like water and firewood, could only be bought in cash, doubling their cost due to black-market cash sales. In May, a single kitchen cost 660,000 SDG per day to operate. Today, that figure has climbed to nearly two million, just to serve red lentils or millet. The kitchens are now inactive.
Sanitary products for women, such as pads, are completely unavailable, deemed non-essential by smugglers.
We used to give out portions for free, now each costs 5,000 SDG. The taste is awful, but desperate times…
Sabir Abdel-Karim, communal kitchen supervisor
Sabir Abdel-Karim, a kitchen supervisor, told Atar that most communal feeding efforts have ceased due to unbearable prices and exploitative merchants. Umbaz is now a mainstay meal for those left in Al-Fashir. He explained:
“You soak it, boil it with a bit of okra powder, and eat it with umbaz porridge. We used to give out portions for free, now each costs 5,000 SDG. The taste is awful, but desperate times…”
Sabir sees hope in the rainy season. With several recent downpours, some residents have begun planting in their yards and nearby plots. He noted the first appearance of molokhia, a sign, perhaps, of a future with something more palatable than livestock feed.
| Item | Zamzam (Mar 22, 2025) | Al-Fashir (Jul 14, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Sack of sugar | 680,000 SDG | 4.5 million SDG (Bankak) – 50 kg |
| Sack of dates | 7,000,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Sack of lentils | 240,000 SDG | 900,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Sack of rice | 270,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Jerrycan of oil | 120,000 SDG | ~800,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Carton of vermicelli | 120,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Carton of pasta | 120,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Sack of Siga flour | 170,000 SDG | Relatively unavailable |
| Carton of Chadian laundry soap | 280,000 SDG | 25,000 SDG per bar (Bankak) |
| Carton of Al-Kubbaya tea | 240,000 SDG | 3,000 SDG per sachet (Cash) |
| Ginger (per pound) | 20,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Coffee (per pound) | 150,000 SDG | Unavailable |
| Sack of onions | 700,000 SDG (Bankak) | Unavailable |
| Barrel of water | 12,000 SDG (Cash) | 10,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Gallon of petrol | 600,000 SDG (Bankak) | 860,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Gallon of diesel | 600,000 SDG (Bankak) | 900,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Women’s sanitary pads (Always) | — | Sold individually: 3,000 SDG each |
| Red lentil bowl | — | 45,000 SDG (Cash) |
| Quarter keila of millet | — | 250,000 SDG |
| Quarter keila of sorghum | — | 200,000 SDG |
