SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters - Revolutionary squads guard Sudan's bakeries to battle corruption
Reuters feature piece reports on Sudanese activists monitoring bakeries in order to prevent the smuggling of wheat and bread, which is “contributing to shortages that have left a weak civilian government struggling to respond.”
Reuters note that bread was a symbol of the revolution, with raising prices triggering the first major protests against Omar al-Bashir’s regime.
The volunteers say they have caught wheat or bread being smuggled out of bakeries in Arkawit in Khartoum, highlight a case of 2,000 loaves being sold at triple the price outside Khartoum, and bread being sold to restaurants at a 20% mark-up.
The volunteers are hoping to expand their activities to flour mills and distribution networks, with software engineer Mohammed Nimir noting that data collection is crucial in monitoring smuggling.