Prices rise in communities across Unity State
Traders importing their goods from East African countries are paying more for them. While the North is closer, the higher cost of fuel doesn’t offset the difference as much as it used to.
El-Sayeb Ismail's shop.At Rubkotna’s local market, the price hikes are starting to bite. El-Sayeb Ismail Ibrahim, a trader who works in Rubkotna County, said vendors are finding it increasingly difficult to transport goods to the market.
The higher exchange rate of the dollar is a problem,” he said, adding that a government tax leaves traders with no option but to boost prices even further.
The tea and coffee shop run by Veronica Nyalam William in Rubkotna has been hard hit by the higher sugar prices. I’ve lost customers because I’ve had to raise my own prices to meet market costs,” she said.
I’ve lost customers because I’ve had to raise my own prices."
Local economies have suffered since January’s referendum on independence for South Sudan. Given the state's location at the future border between North and South Sudan, many northern traders who owned businesses in the South have reportedly left, fearing unwelcome pressure after South Sudan's independence in July. This has particularly affected Unity State, where a high proportion of goods are shipped from the North.
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For their part, local South Sudanese with relatives in Khartoum say southerners in the North are under pressure to return home too.
