Sudanese inflation slows again, but stays high at 25.6 pct

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's inflation rate declined for a fourth straight month in November to 25.6 percent from 28.2 percent in October, the Central Statistics Office said on Tuesday, helped by falling global oil prices. Prices have soared in Sudan since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil output, the main source of the foreign currency used to support the Sudanese pound and to pay for food and other imports. Fuel subsidy cuts introduced last year also pushed up inflation but their effects have since begun to ease. As an oil importer, Sudan is benefiting from the more than 40 percent slump in global oil prices since June. Lower inflation is welcome news in Sudan, where the rising cost of living has stirred social discontent. Austerity measures and subsidy cuts prompted protests last year in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured.