The Sudanese pound hit an all-time low against the dollar on the black market Tuesday, brokers said, fuelling concerns of soaring inflation as importers rushed to buy the US currency. On Tuesday, the pound reaching 30 to a dollar on the black market, its lowest level ever. The official rate is 18 pounds to a dollar.
An acute shortage of dollars has weakened the Sudanese pound steadily, with the currency losing about 60 percent in the past year on the black market. "The pound touched 30 on the black market today as corporates and businessmen rushed to buy dollars to meet their import payments," a broker said on condition of anonymity.
Trading on the foreign exchange market has been very volatile since October 12 when Washington lifted its 20-year-old trade embargo imposed on Khartoum. Authorities have even arrested dozens of black market traders in a bid to curb the speculation.
The pound was expected to strengthen against the greenback after the embargo was lifted, but it has only slipped since then. Despite the lifting of the restrictions, banks across the world remain wary of working with Khartoum, officials say.
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