A/HRC/39/71 E. Economic and social rights 41. The Independent Expert notes that the Sudan suffers from socioeconomic inequalities that have their origin in a range of factors, including lack of support for rain-fed agriculture, problems with land reform and the distribution of development resources between urban and rural areas. 42. According to information received by the Independent Expert, 36.1 per cent of the population in the Sudan live in poverty, whereas one in four Sudanese (25 per cent) falls below the extreme poverty line. Unemployment is the major cause of poverty. The regions with the lowest poverty incidence are Northern and Al Gezira States, followed by River Nile. North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Darfur are the poorest. The labour force in the Sudan numbers 11 million, 9 million of whom are employed, and the private sector absorbs 91.3 per cent of these employees. 43. The Government has increased the cost of electricity for home consumption over 1500 kW to 1.85 Sudanese pounds and doubled the cost of electricity for factories and commercial entities. This could lead to a rise in the costs of agricultural and industrial production processes and hence in the prices of Sudanese exports. 44. The most severe issue is that the high increase in the cost of production might threaten the 2018–2019 agricultural season, which can lead to migration to the capital, big cities and informal mining areas. Ultimately, this would weaken the competitiveness of Sudanese exports on the international markets, despite the fact that the lifting of economic sanctions by the United States presents an opportunity for the Sudan to revive its economy and expand exports, particularly agricultural exports. 45. The Government ended the subsidies on wheat and, as a result, the price of a loaf of bread increased from 0.5 to 1 Sudanese pound. Removing subsidies will likely have a detrimental impact on household income, and in particular on poor households. The withdrawal of subsidies on wheat is also likely to contribute to inflationary pressure via imported inflation, given that the Sudan obtains the bulk of its wheat supplies from imports. If people shift to consuming other kinds of locally produced cereals and if the supply of the domestic cereals does not respond adequately to the increased demand, the prices of these cereals will increase. 46. Together, the impact of the rise in electricity prices and the withdrawal of subsidies on wheat could lead to a steady decline in demand and hence job losses resulting from layoffs, downsizing or the closing down of economic projects. 47. To date, the Government has yet to implement any social protection programmes to absorb the negative impacts of its policies on the most vulnerable parts of the population. Good coordination between development partners in the country and the Government is crucial in order to absorb the negative impacts of the austerity measures. 48. The Independent Expert is of the view that the realization of the economic and social rights of the Sudanese people is key to long-term stability in the Sudan. He calls upon the Government to effectively implement the national poverty reduction strategy in order to address the root causes of inequalities in the country. F. Human rights situation in conflict-affected areas 1. Darfur Situation of internally displaced persons 49. Although the disarmament exercise has helped to improve the security situation in some areas of Darfur, the continued presence of armed men and militias threatening the lives, livelihoods and peaceful existence of internally displaced persons leaves many of them preferring to remain in camps with relative security. Internally displaced persons face many challenges within the camps, including lack of adequate food, safe drinking water and adequate health care. Internally displaced persons remain heavily dependent on the services 8