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A few hours after the Egyptian Government announced price hikes of up to 30%, the cost of goods and services spiked across the country.
The announcement was made in the middle of the night and Egyptians woke up to increased vegetable prices and transport fares.
A mother of six, Om Mohammed, lamented the price hike while speaking with AFP on Tuesday.
“The cost of everything is going up and up. It’s been a week now that prices have already been rising. We were barely getting by as it is. I don’t know how people will manage,” said Mohammed.
The increase in fuel prices is largely due to the Middle East crisis arising from the Iran war, now in its second week. Fuel prices in other African countries, including Nigeria and Sierra Leone, have also increased since the war began.
A 33-year-old taxi driver, Ahmed Hassan, said he was shocked when he filled his tank on Tuesday.
Egypt has cut the fuel subsidies four times over the past two years. Each time the subsidies were cut, inflation skyrocketed. Although the inflation has eased, Egyptians are still bearing the brunt of increased living costs.
The Egyptian Government said on Tuesday that it would be reprioritising public spending, including by limiting non-essential government travel and rationing street lighting and assured Egyptians that Public sector salaries will be raised.
Many Egyptians still remain sceptical despite these promises.
“Nothing that goes up in price in Egypt comes back down, ever,” Walid Ibrahim, another cab driver, told AFP.
