Businessman Meshaal Mahmoud Mohamed did not find it to leave Khartoum Bahri after the outbreak of the war in Sudan in mid -April 2023, heading to Ethiopia.
Meshaal worked in Khartoum by trafficking in spare parts of the workshops, and he succeeded in achieving good profits, and he continued to work in this field until the outbreak of the war, as he lost his commercial exhibitions, home and cars.
Meshaal told Al -Jazeera Net that he lost everything, as all his stores and exhibition were stolen in the city of Bahri (north of the capital), which led him to leave in May 2023.
After arriving in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, accompanied by his family, he immediately thought about returning to his previous field, but he faced a completely different commercial reality from Sudan in terms of capital and procedures.
After thinking, Meshaal says that he made the decision to open a restaurant to prepare Sudanese meals, especially since this period witnessed the arrival of large numbers of Sudanese to Ethiopia to complete travel procedures to other countries.
During the month of Ramadan last year, Meshaal Restaurant met the requests of his country’s citizens to break the fast and dinner with well -known Sudanese dishes, which were very popular, especially with the provision of well -known Sudanese Ramadan drinks, including “Hallomer”.
Meshaal explains to “Al -Jazeera Net” that the nature of the work was at the beginning very difficult in light of the need for continuous preparations without stopping or leave, as his wife had the largest role in managing and moving it mainly, and therefore he decided to name the restaurant with the “Sudanese House”, because his wife is the food as she does at home.
Returning to the beginning of the work, Mashaal believes that he was prosperous, as the number of Sudanese was large, but he has now retreated with the decrease in numbers and the decline in the numbers of transit to other countries. However, the young businessman says that things are still going well, as he is preparing during the current month of Ramadan with qualitative preparations, and he seeks to attract Ethiopians and others to experience Sudanese food.
The best of Ramadan and his generosity
Businessman Khaled Bayram, who also holds the position of Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chamber of Commerce in Atbara locality in the state of the Nile River, north of Sudan, says that Ramadan is the month of goodness and blessing, and his generosity is reflected on everyone.
He assures Al -Jazeera Net that the commercial movement in the holy month is known as the “season”, as it flourishes significantly and the demand for different goods and products is increasing.
He adds: “Business and trade in general in Sudan during the holy month are in a state of recovery and growth, and they always begin about 10 days before Ramadan, or until the day before its beginning, where the markets witness an intense and active movement.”
He explains that when it comes to foodstuffs, people are ready to buy them, and their prices often rise.
As for the Chamber of Commerce in Atbara, Bayram indicates that merchants are preparing baskets for fasting people, containing basic food for the fasting person, and some merchants remove additional baskets for Ramadan from their own money.
Bayram confirms that there is a wide movement of money, trade and goods, and this increases profits and income, indicating that the higher the income, the higher spending on the weak groups through alms, grades, food baskets, zakat al -Fitr and donations.
“The name of Ramadan Kareem did not come from nothing, God provides people’s needs, and there is a state of happiness among all, including merchants and businessmen.”
Treats
For the “Abu Al -Fadel Plaza” group in Sudan, a special reputation, especially when the blessed month of Ramadan is, as the season that thousands of Sudanese awaits to benefit from discounts and buy home supplies, as the group is characterized by high -end import and appropriate prices.
But the war threw its dark shadow over the group in all its branches spread in the three cities of Khartoum (Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum Bahri), as Hashem Abu Al -Fadil says to “Al -Jazeera Net”, where the company lost its entire goods either by combustion, theft, looting and sabotage, and they were unable to save anything except for the goods that were under the customs clearance in the port.
Hashem tells “Al -Jazeera Net” a difficult suffering that the entrepreneurs in the Sudanese private sector lived, due to the war that suddenly erupted without the owners of the companies, especially the center of the capital, Khartoum, could remedy the matter and save the capital as possible.
It indicates that 90% of the business owners returned to the zero point, and they lost almost everything, bringing the private sector the largest affected by the war that has been going on for nearly two years.
However, Hashem says that they tried to get back again and return to work, and refused to go out with the remaining capital out of the country, so they decided to open new branches of the group in Port Sudan and return to work in Omdurman after the security situation improved partially.
But he complains about the government authorities’ dealings, indicating that it imposes customs fees and other levies with astronomical numbers, not taking into account the heavy losses incurred by the private sector, and does not consider it as businessmen to contribute to the reconstruction.
Hashem is similar to their current conditions, who walks on fire, but he though confirming that they are keen to continue to work and overcome the current difficulties.
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Huge losses
In view of the economic conditions in Sudan, the expert in economic affairs, Abdel -Azim Al -Muhalla, told Al -Jazeera Net that the Sudanese private sector lost a lot in this war estimated in the industrial and service sectors in Khartoum at 90%, and in the state of the island the percentage of losses reaches 88%, while in the states of Darfur except for Al -Fasher, the losses are estimated at 80% in the two sectors.
It indicates that the estimates of the total number of private sector losses in all sectors are about $ 130 billion, 90% of which are not subject to insurance.
He believes that the private sector needs a time to return to work, but it expects its return faster than the public sector.
Al -Muhla regrets the exit of some entrepreneurs in the private sector from Sudan and immigration abroad, while others were displaced internally, which may lead to the dispersion of industry and services away from the capital.
Al -Muhla considers that the gaps affect all sectors that will start from the zero point and are added if this is done, the Sudanese economy will rise within about 3 years, stressing the possibility of recovery and renaissance if there are stable policies, conscious management and modern technology in all fields followed by strong security and political stability.
