“The Only Food Left”… Soaring Prices of Ombaz in Al-Fashir

Al-Fashir – The shutdown of trade routes has driven up the price of ombaz (peanut residue left after oil extraction), an animal feed that has become the main source of food for much of the city’s population, sparking fears of worsening hunger.

Al-Fashir is already facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to acute shortages of medicine and food under the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2024. The blockade has forced residents to survive on ombaz.

Local residents told Darfur24 that prices are skyrocketing. A sack of high-quality ombaz with flour now sells for 600,000 Sudanese pounds, compared to just 30,000 in the past. Lower-grade ombaz costs around 400,000 pounds, and even that is often scarce.

Most besieged families cannot afford such prices, especially with income-generating activities paralyzed in the city.

Mohamed Adam, a grain trader at Nyala Camp Market, attributed the surge and scarcity to the shutdown of all processing mills and the greed of some merchants.