Sudan’s Central Statistics Office said on Sunday that they recorded a 3.9 percent monthly rise in inflation in May, with food prices one of the most affected sectors.

In its monthly bulletin, the Statistics Office said the monthly rise was due to “an increase in the prices of food and beverages in May.”

The county’s annual inflation rate now stands at about 41.2 percent, compared to 37.7 percent in April.

Since 2011 when South Sudan seceded and took with it three-quarters of the state's oil output, Sudan's main source of foreign currency, the Sudanese pound has been weakening against the dollar.

Last year the government cut fuel subsidies and imposed other austerity measures that prompted protests in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured.

File photo: Tim McKulka/UN Photo