Kenyan tea exporters can resume shipping their produce to Sudan after the country lifted restrictions imposed in March 2025 following a diplomatic dispute with Nairobi over the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Sudan’s Trade Minister, Mahasin Ali Yaqoub, announced the decision on Wednesday, November 11, and ordered authorities responsible for trade to implement it immediately.
The restrictions had shut Kenyan tea out of the Sudanese market for more than a year. Sudan stopped imports from Kenya after accusing the government of supporting the RSF, a group fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country.
The dispute arose after RSF representatives and other groups met in Nairobi on February 22, 2025, where they signed a political charter seeking to establish a parallel administration in Sudan.
Sudan objected to Kenya hosting the meeting. On February 24, 2025, its Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Al Fadil, warned that the country could take action against Kenyan imports, accusing Nairobi of interfering in Sudan’s internal affairs.
In March that year, Sudan announced an immediate restriction on imports from Kenya. The ban affected goods entering through the country’s ports, railway network and airports.
The decision hit Kenyan tea traders at a time when consignments worth more than KSh3.1 billion were either on their way to Sudan or waiting to be shipped when the restrictions took effect.
The lifting of the ban was approved by Sudan’s Sovereignty Council through a letter dated November 2, 2026. A Cabinet communication followed on November 5, before Yaqoub issued the directive on Wednesday.
This will finally bring closure to the limitations that have prevented Kenyan tea from being marketed in Sudan from when the dispute started.
They will now be able to re-establish shipments to Sudan and make up for any lost sales due to the ban.
