Sudan: The appearance of new banknotes in Nyala reinforces the feeling of division in the country

New banknotes have recently entered circulation in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, Sudan, according to Reuters. This new Sudanese pound is intended for areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, who have established their parallel government headquarters in Nyala. The creation of this new currency, along with the establishment of a central bank, a police force, and civil servants specific to this parallel government, nicknamed Ta'sis, reinforces a sense of division within the country.

For the past year, the Nyala government has been trying to assume its role in administratively managing the vast territories under its control in Darfur and Kordofan. It is this government that pays the civil servants as well as the fighters of the SRF.

The new lira, recently put into circulation, are almost identical to pre-war Sudanese banknotes. Their origin is undetermined, but these notes bear the signature of Hussein Yahia Jangoul, governor of the Central Bank of Sudan before the war. He was appointed head of the new central bank, run by the Ta'sis alliance, shortly before the introduction of these notes.

The ancient books still recognized according to the Ta'sis alliance

Prime Minister Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi of Ta'sis stated that the authorities would continue to recognize books issued before June 2024, but declined to comment on the origin of the new banknotes. He said these measures are intended "to preserve economic stability and meet the needs of citizens and markets."

The value of the pound has collapsed since the start of the war, depreciating in recent weeks to more than 5,000 pounds to the dollar, compared with less than 600 before the conflict.

Control of the Sudanese currency has been a point of contention since 2024, when the military-led government declared the old Sudanese pounds invalid and began issuing new 500 and 1,000 pound notes, creating a liquidity shortage in areas controlled by the FSR.