This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
On December 22, 2019, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chaired an extraordinary meeting on the budget, where a crucial decision was made to gradually lift fuel subsidies in exchange for a 100 per cent increase in basic salaries starting with the 2020 budget.
According to Faisal Muhammad Saleh, the Sudan government spokesman, the goal is to reduce the burden of subsidies on the government, which currently costs 16 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Petrol costs about 10 US cents per litre in Sudan, one of the lowest gasoline prices in the world.
However, bread subsidies, which prompted the protests in December 2018, will remain in place for now, along with increased spending on education and health. The government aims to address the contraction in Gross Domestic Product by at least two per cent in the past two years and alleviate absolute poverty, estimated at 65 per cent.
“More than one alternative will be offered through these dialogues so that citizens see the most acceptable option,” said Faisal Muhammad Saleh, referring to the upcoming dialogues that were set to start on Monday.
