Displaced Sudanese Bemoan Soaring Rental Prices in Port Sudan
(AWP) - Displaced Sudanese woman Hayam Ibrahim complains about the high rental price of an apartment she recently moved into after being forced to move to the city of Port Sudan.
Ibrahim and her family fled the capital Khartoum due to the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been ongoing since April 2023, resulting in thousands dead and wounded and the displacement of hundreds of thousands, according to United Nations estimates.
She says that she has to pay 50,000 Sudanese pounds (nearly 50 US dollars) per day for a house that she doesn’t believe is worth that amount.
Ibrahim said, “The condition of the houses doesn’t match the money we pay. In the end, we are all Sudanese and must support each other and unite. No one should exploit the circumstances because anyone coming here is not in a good financial situation.”
Displaced people in Port Sudan say that the properties available for rent are in ordinary buildings located in neighbourhoods that lack basic services such as regular drinking water and electricity.
With the clashes between the army and RSF spreading, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese people have found refuge in Port Sudan, increasing demand for housing in the city and causing rental prices to soar.
Malek al-Akam, head of the Real Estate Offices Division in the Red Sea State, where Port Sudan lies, said, “Furnished apartments in the popular neighbourhoods of Port Sudan range from $100 to $5,000. These are the prices of regular housing and apartments for families, but for embassies and companies, they start from $10,000 up to $35,000 per month.”
Many displaced people say that they were unable to afford the rent, forcing them to move to schools that were turned into shelter centres by the local authorities.