Economy: Sudan
Key Facts
—Who. Currency traders in Khartoum, who gave the rates to Sudan Tribune, and the Bank of Sudan, the central bank.
—What. The dollar traded at SDG 8,800 on the parallel (informal) market on Wednesday 7 October 2026, up from about SDG 8,300 on Saturday 3 October, a 6% rise.
—Where. Sudan’s foreign-exchange market, where bank and parallel rates differ widely.
—Why. Traders cite higher demand for dollars against thin supply, especially from fuel companies during a petroleum shortage.
—Prediction markets. Polymarket: ceasefire in the Sudan civil war by 31 December 2026, 13.0% (7 October 2026, 8:07 p.m. ET).
—As of. 8 October 2026, 00:08 GMT.
Sudan’s pound slipped again this week, with traders quoting the dollar at 8,800 pounds on the parallel market on Wednesday 7 October. At that rate, 1,000 pounds buy about US$0.11, and traders blame demand from fuel companies.
What We Know
Traders told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday 7 October that the dollar changed hands at SDG 8,800 on the parallel market. It had stood at about SDG 8,300 on Saturday 3 October, when the latest rise began, a gain of about 6% for the dollar in four days.
Traders blamed rising demand for foreign currency against weak supply. They singled out fuel companies, as the petroleum shortage worsens.
They also said the pound could recover if the government goes ahead with a reported partnership between Sudan’s national oil company and Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled oil giant, later this year. Sudan Tribune describes this only as news that has leaked out.
A Pound With Two Prices
The street rate is far above what banks quote. On 17 September, Dabanga reported the dollar at SDG 8,400 on the parallel market, against SDG 4,200 at Bank of Khartoum and SDG 3,750 at Omdurman National Bank.
That report said the dollar had risen 40% in three weeks, from SDG 6,000 to SDG 8,400, and about 14-fold since April 2023, when it stood at SDG 565. A 50-kilogram sack of sugar in Kosti rose from SDG 350,000 to SDG 420,000 in one day (about US$50 at that day’s rate of 8,400).
Economists quoted by Dabanga blamed government dollar purchases on the parallel market to pay for weapons deals and fuel. Former Finance Minister Ibrahim El Badawi said ending the war is the critical condition for stability.
The pound touched a then-record SDG 6,400 on 27 August, days after a central bank circular let banks set their own dollar rates, as we reported. Sudan Tribune notes that it has since swung between falls and small recoveries.
Fuel, Gold and the Dollar Squeeze
Fuel importers need dollars, and the shortage we described in Why Sudan Is Running Out of Fuel is feeding that demand. Sudan Tribune says the currency swings have pushed up the prices of essential goods and services.
Sudan Tribune calls gold one of the country’s most important sources of foreign currency. The national mineral resources company says gold export proceeds reached US$2.292 billion from January to September, as we reported.
Unnamed sources in the gold sector told Sudan Tribune that this sum equals only about 20 tonnes of gold, against official production of about 70 tonnes, a gap of about 50 tonnes. They blamed unstable Bank of Sudan policy rather than the mineral company, and we cannot verify these anonymous claims.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket prices a ceasefire in the Sudan civil war by 31 December 2026 at 13.0%, with about US$119,482 traded (7 October 2026, 8:07 p.m. ET). Prices are bets, not polls, and a ceasefire is the condition economists name for any lasting recovery of the pound.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The parallel-market rates come from traders, not from a published central bank series, so they can differ by city and by hour. The Bank of Sudan publishes its own official rates, which we have not used here.
Neither Sudan’s oil company nor Saudi Aramco has confirmed the reported partnership in the coverage we reviewed. Nor is it known where the gap between gold output and export proceeds goes.
What It Means for US Readers and Investors
US investors cannot trade the Sudanese pound in any meaningful way, but its slide shows how much strain the war has put on the economy. The stress sits behind the country’s gold and fuel flows.
For readers following US policy and aid, the exchange rate decides what a dollar of humanitarian spending buys locally and what a family can afford. A ceasefire, which prediction markets rate as unlikely this year, remains the step economists name first.
More: Sudan news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sudanese pound worth against the dollar?
Traders quoted SDG 8,800 per US dollar on the parallel market on Wednesday 7 October 2026, according to Sudan Tribune. At that rate 1,000 pounds buy about US$0.11.
Why is the Sudanese pound falling?
Traders cite rising demand for foreign currency, especially from fuel companies, against weak supply. Economists quoted by Dabanga also point to government dollar purchases and the war.
Why are there two exchange rates?
Banks quote far lower dollar prices than the street. In mid-September Bank of Khartoum quoted SDG 4,200 and Omdurman National Bank SDG 3,750, while the parallel market was at SDG 8,400.
Why does this matter to US readers?
It measures how deep the economic damage of Sudan’s war runs. It also affects what aid money and household budgets buy there.
Sources
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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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