Sudan is facing a severe fuel shortage that has disrupted public transport, freight and factory output and raised food prices, as global oil disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict combine with domestic import restrictions. Prime Minister Kamil Idriss has ordered extra petroleum supplies to service stations, but analysts say deeper problems persist, including the long closure of the al-Jaili refinery (Sudan's main refinery, north of Khartoum), foreign currency shortages and a central bank rule requiring importers to deposit the equivalent of 200 kilograms of gold. With the civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (a powerful paramilitary group) ongoing, the crunch is fuelling a growing black market in government-held areas and deepening hardship for civilians.