Sudanese Siham Al-Dhi's day begins early, and then the sixty-year-old woman goes to the Omdurman market, not with a shopping list in her hand, but in search of work that would allow her to provide food for the day. Sometimes she cleans a bag of beans for 5 thousand pounds (less than a dollar), and with the money she buys some lentils and flour to prepare “qarasa” (local bread), but if she does not find work, she takes another path... which is begging.
Siham goes to one of the butchers, to greet her, and waits for the butcher, who extends his hand to her with a piece of lard, and sometimes adds a bone to it. “A deadly feeling,” Siham told Asharq Al-Awsat as she looked at the ground, then added: “I’m trying to convince myself that this is better than stealing.”
During the 40 minutes that Asharq Al-Awsat spent in front of six butchers on the northern side of Omdurman market, three women came to the same place with the same goal. Merchants say that women and men have come to them seeking fat and bones that were previously thrown to stray dogs. Siham's day is no longer an exception in a country exhausted by a war that has entered its fourth year, and which has prompted many to search for their strength in what was thrown aside.
For millions of Sudanese, arranging the same necessities has consumed hours of the day: water that must be found, bread that must be priced, food whose ingredients diminish as prices rise, and medicine that the patient may have to postpone purchasing.
If Siham's day in Omdurman begins with searching for work that provides her with food, hundreds of kilometers away, another day begins with searching for water. In the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, Fatima, 15 years old, goes out waiting for her family's share of water. Last July, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) documented this girl's suffering, saying that she spends the period from morning until noon waiting in front of water tanks, and if the water runs out before her turn arrives, she is forced to walk for more than an hour in search of another source.
Humanitarian reports indicate that some families in the city are now spending about half of their day searching for water, and even when Fatima gets a little of it, the task does not end, as another comparison begins inside the house: “Does the water go for drinking or for cooking, and what is left for washing clothes and other needs?”
But obtaining water is only the first calculation of the day. With the arrival of the morning, comes the calculation of bread. In the capital, Khartoum, there is currently no crisis in its availability, according to Muhammad Awad Gibran, Deputy Secretary-General of the Sudanese Bakery Owners Union, who told Asharq Al-Awsat that most bakeries have returned to work, production is available, and there are no rows or areas suffering from a shortage, and the consumer gets three loaves of bread for a thousand pounds (a dollar equals 7 thousand pounds), with a weight that usually exceeds 60 grams per loaf. The one.
However, the presence of bread in the bakery does not necessarily mean that the problem is over. Gibran says: “The problem is an economic problem, not a bakery problem.” He explains that the decline in the value of the Sudanese pound against foreign currencies was reflected in various production inputs. Gibran says that the price of a bag of flour, according to an agreement with government agencies, has become about 87 thousand pounds, while consultations are underway with the ministry to reduce production costs. He continues: “Despite the relative improvement in the exchange rate of the pound over the past two days, I fear that currency fluctuations will put pressure on the loaf again.” He warns that maintaining the current price will become difficult if the pound declines again: “If the exchange rate declines, it will affect the price of bread.”
From the bakery, the day's account moves to the market, where the problem does not always lie in the scarcity of goods, but in how much of them the pocket can buy. In the Omdurman market, which is supposed to reach its peak in the morning, the number of people visiting six butchers within forty minutes did not exceed about twenty people, the majority of whom were men.
Butcher Muhammad Jumaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the price of a kilo of lamb rose from 38,000 to 48,000 pounds, and veal from 33,000 to 38,000, while the price of liver jumped from 48,000 to 60,000 pounds. But what strikes Jumaa more than the rise in prices is the shrinking quantities demanded by buyers. He says that the demand for what is known locally as “Miss Cole” has increased, which is a sarcastic name given by the Sudanese to the purchase of extremely small amounts of goods, such as “half a quarter” of a kilo of meat, or only about 125 grams.
Near the butchers, the recession is most evident in the vegetable market, where Fath al-Rahman Abdo sits waiting for late customers. He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “There are no customers... Since the morning I have drank three cups of coffee to combat sleepiness.” Abdo is not only faced with weak buyers; The prices at which he buys his goods also move quickly. He says that he bought a carton of tomatoes for 160,000 pounds, then found its price the next day had jumped to 200,000.
As for Suleiman Adam, he told Asharq Al-Awsat that he has been working in the market since 1969, and he measures the crisis by what he saw during more than half a century behind his wares. He says that throughout those decades he has not witnessed a similar weakness in citizens’ desire to buy.
As noon approaches, the market accounts move to another place, which is “home kitchens.” What the pocket cannot buy in the morning will not reach the amount of lunch, and Hadiya Musa knows this equation well, as she returned to Sudan from an asylum trip to Egypt seven months ago, and since her return she has watched the list of things that her family can buy shrink.
She told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I started cooking mostly without meat,” before adding: “A kilo of tomatoes has reached 15,000 pounds. How do I feed my children?”
The crisis gift is not measured by the price of tomatoes and meat alone, but rather by the number of days that the family’s income can sustain it. She says: “Before the recent increases, the salary was not enough to last until the end of the month, now it is enough for one week.”
As for Imad Ali, he rearranged his family's table based on what he could afford. He reduced the purchase of meat to a quarter of a kilo once or twice a week when circumstances permitted, while the family relied on lentils, potatoes, and eggplant salad on the rest of the days. He also abandoned fresh milk in favor of powdered milk.
Austerity was not limited to inside the home, but also reached the school bag. Imad’s children now carry falafel sandwiches with them almost daily, as it is a less expensive option. But the economic calculation that the father understands does not mean much to the children, who recently protested against him, saying: “We cannot eat falafel every day.”
What appears in Imad's gift kitchen and children's bag is the daily face of a broader crisis, as about 19.5 million Sudanese face high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the latest available estimates, while the prices of basic foodstuffs remain at exceptionally high levels.
As the hours of the day pass, the family can postpone buying meat, replace one type of food with another, reduce quantities, or repeat the same meal, but there is a calculation that becomes more severe when it comes to illness.
The latest health data indicate that about 37 percent of health facilities in Sudan are not functioning, while about 21 million people need health services, amid a shortage of medicines and the high cost of accessing treatment.
In Darfur, Médecins Sans Frontières has documented cases in which patients have to travel hours to reach a functioning health facility, and for some of them, the cost of treatment does not start at the hospital door, as the cost of transportation alone can amount to the equivalent of two days’ wages for some workers. Here the story returns to Siham. She does not need to spend hours searching for a hospital in order to face the same choice, but her husband is sick, and she has a medicine bill worth 25 thousand pounds that she could not afford.
The day she finds work in the Omdurman market, she may earn five thousand pounds cleaning sacks of beans, but this same money is what she needs to buy lentils and flour to prepare food for the family.
Thus, for her, the issue becomes less related to what the family needs, and more related to what can be postponed: “Food does not wait, but neither does illness.”
When the sun tends to set, the day of the Sudanese who began searching for water, bread, or a job opportunity has turned into a long series of calculations: “How many loaves of bread can he buy?” How many grams of meat? What is omitted from lunch? Should he spend what is left on food or keep it for treatment?
As for Siham, she returns to her home in the evening with what she can manage, and in her hand is a piece of lard that she got from the butcher for free, after it had been thrown away in the past to stray dogs, while her sick husband is waiting for her at home, and the medicine bill, amounting to 25 thousand pounds, remains unpaid, until a new morning comes, and Siham comes out again, and the calculations begin from the beginning.
The El Alamein International Aviation and Space Exhibition 2026, which opened on Tuesday, showed development in some of the Egyptian weapons and drones displayed by the Arab Organization for Industrialization, most notably the FL-750 suicide drone, the R-D interceptor drone, and the Hamza-1 and 2 drones.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi opened the second edition of the exhibition, which continues until Thursday, with the participation of more than 260 companies and exhibitors from various countries of the world, in addition to the presence of more than 100 official delegations representing about 80 countries.
The Arab Organization for Industrialization, a government body affiliated with the presidency, and one of the industrial and technological bases in Egypt, said that it is participating in this edition with many products in the field of aviation industries, which “confirms its leadership in deepening local manufacturing and localizing the latest technologies, in a way that meets the needs of the Egyptian Air Force and brotherly and friendly countries.”
The Authority said that it “works in accordance with the mechanisms of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with its advanced manufacturing capabilities and trained human competencies,” noting that it displays some of the products of its affiliated factories, such as the Aircraft Factory, the Engine Factory, the Helwan Factory for Advanced Industries, the Saqr Factory for Advanced Industries, and the Arab-British Company for Dynamic Industries.
According to photos published by the Arab Organization for Industrialization, the exhibits included “Hafez 1, 2, and 3 bombs,” a “launching platform for confronting R&D drones,” an “R&D interceptor march,” “the drone (Hamza 1 and 2),” “the FL750 suicide drone,” and “a system for detecting and countering drones (Harris 2).”
She said that the FL750 suicide drone has several military missions, including reconnaissance and targeting targets, “reflecting the growing capabilities of local manufacturing in the field of drones.”
The expert in military and strategic affairs, Major General Staff Ayman Abdel Mohsen, said that the most prominent Egyptian armament systems participating in the exhibition also include reconnaissance drones (the locally manufactured “ASN-209” tactical drone), in addition to defense and interception systems and advanced missile and missile systems that include an arsenal of smart missiles and projectiles designated for arming the drones and dealing with ground targets.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that the exhibition also witnesses the participation of advanced aerial missiles from the Hafez family to increase the accuracy of air attacks, in addition to projectiles for arming drones (the Meteor family): “Meteor 1,” which is a developed projectile for arming drones and anti-personnel, and “Meteor 2,” which is a projectile for arming drones that relies on thermal compression technology.
He pointed out that the exhibition includes the participation of combat missiles, a display of 70 mm air-to-surface missiles, other 68 mm missiles, and ground missile systems, including the developed Saqr 105 missile launcher.
Days before the start of the exhibition, the Egyptian company “Tornix” unveiled the “Jabbar 50” drone, saying that it “represents a new qualitative addition to the arsenal of drones in Egypt, amid wide regional and international interest in the technical specifications possessed by these modern systems.”
The Egyptian company "Amiston" previously displayed the "Jabbar 150", "Jabbar 200", and "Jabbar 250" multi-range drones at the International Defense Industries Exhibition (IDEX 2025).
Major General Abdel Mohsen said: “The exhibition is an important international event, and reflects an Egyptian interest in showcasing technology capabilities in the fields of aviation, defense and space, with the support of the Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation, the Egyptian Air Force and EgyptAir, which demonstrates the existence of integration between the various sectors of the state that pay attention to developing local manufacturing and marketing it.”
He pointed out that there are 135 aircraft of different types and models participating in the exhibition, including 55 aircraft that participated in air shows and activities.
The exhibition also includes the participation of the Russian Sukhoi 57 fighter, which is one of the fifth generation aircraft, and the Chinese J-16 and J-10C fighters, in addition to the participation of the international company Boeing.
The exhibition's pavilions showcase the latest aviation and space technologies, in addition to aircraft engines and defense technologies, as well as drones, which have become one of the most prominent elements of military development in recent years, according to the Arab Organization for Industrialization.
The advisor at the Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies, Major General Adel Al-Omda, confirmed that Egypt aims to consolidate its position as an effective regional partner in the aviation industry, adding that the international event “goes beyond being a specialized exhibition, to reflect Egypt’s role in supporting international cooperation in this industry, taking advantage of its strategic location linking Africa and Europe.”
He went on to say to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The importance of the event comes in light of the rapid development in the aviation and space industries, especially smart aircraft, unmanned systems and drones, which requires the exchange of expertise and experiences through such events.”
He stressed that Egypt uses these international exhibitions “to support investments, transfer expertise, and enhance manufacturing opportunities and international partnerships, so that these events turn into an integrated platform that combines a distinguished geographic location, investment opportunities, and international cooperation.”
According to the Arab Organization for Industrialization, the exhibition is expected to witness the conclusion of a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding, and discussions with major international companies and aviation industry experts to exchange technical and technological expertise, discuss new investment horizons, and open export outlets for the regional and international markets.
