SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Economist – Jammed streets highlight the challenges of Sudan’s transition

5/12/2019: Economist – Jammed streets highlight the challenges of Sudan’s transition

In a feature piece, the Economist explore issues in Sudan’s transport sector, which for some citizens, are a reflection of legacy of corruption and mismanagement of Omar al-Bashir’s regime.

According to 18-year-old student Souad al-Sawy, the regular traffic jams in Sudan are the work of the “deep-state,” with minibus owners blaming the abandonment of vehicles in roadways on the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP), which owned nearly 40,000 vehicles.

Journalist Yasir Alkordi alleged that public transport has vanished because NCP members have paid bus drivers to shirk work, with the Economist noting that the Khartoum State Transportation Company is “stuffed” with NCP loyalists.

However, the Economist attribute the transport crisis to “mundane economics,” citing state-regulated fares that are “too low” to pay for maintenance.