Ramadan preparations underway at Sudan’s Gedaref livestock market

With the holy month of Ramadan starting next week, Muslims around the world are getting ready.

Sudan is no exception, despite the country’s ongoing war. In the eastern city of Gedaref, people are heading to the market. But customers are shocked by the price of meat.

“In Ramadan specifically, livestock’s prices go up because demand is higher than supply and due to people fasting during the day,” says Gedaref resident Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed.

“The prices in the market are too high, too expensive. An ewe costs 650 to 700 thousands Sudanese pound [$1080 to 1163].”

Situated on the road between Sudan’s capital Khartoum and the Ethiopian border, Gedaref is an agricultural and commercial center, still thriving despite the country’s ongoing war.

Mohamed Gomaa is a livestock farm owner:

“We have two markets [in Shawak] on Saturdays and Tuesdays. We export to Egypt around 250 to 300 camels on Saturdays and from 150 to 200 camels on Tuesdays. The market is big and turnover is high.”

Sudan’s devastating civil war has been raging for almost three years. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.

The fighting has also fueled disease and hunger in parts of the country.

But market traders say the situation in Gedaref is improving.

“Prices are still reasonable till now, no high increases,” says Mohamed Othman, Gedaref resident. “And even if it happens, it is not that high. We expect the situation to improve by Ramadan. We don’t know what will happen, but the situation in the country is better now.”

The United Nations last week kicked off a new Sudan Humanitarian Fund with $700 million in contributions from the United Arab Emirates and United States.

The UN’s humanitarian chief said they’ve set the start of Ramadan on 17 February as a deadline to make visible progress on the project.