Sudanese pound inches up against dollar after government intervenes on fuel imports

June 13, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese pound recovered slightly on the parallel market on Saturday, following a sharp plunge over the past few days driven by heavy speculative buying and currency demands for fuel imports.

The currency had hit an unprecedented low earlier in the week, trading at 4,700 Sudanese pounds to the U.S. dollar.

Traders told Sudan Tribune that the pound rebounded during Saturday’s transactions, with the U.S. dollar dropping to 4,400 pounds. The United Arab Emirates dirham also eased to 1,280 pounds from 1,330 pounds earlier in the week.

A currency trader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said demand for foreign currency had slowed significantly, particularly from private fuel companies, which helped ease pressure on the local currency.

Traders are also cautious about a sudden market correction due to heavy profit-taking from those who had bought foreign currency purely for speculation, the source added.

The central bank and the government decided on Friday to take over the direct import of petroleum products. The move came in response to an acute fuel crisis and a plunging pound, which had been weakened by heavy private sector dollar buying to fund private fuel shipments.

Sudan faces recurrent fuel shortages, which have intensified following severe damage to its energy infrastructure. The state-owned al-Jaili refinery, which previously met about 70% of local consumption, remains out of service, forcing the country to rely entirely on imports to meet its fuel needs.