Sudan Bans Kenyan Imports over ‘Support’ for RSF

The Sovereign Council of Sudan, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has imposed an immediate and indefinite ban on all Kenyan imports, including tea, citing violation of its national sovereignty and alleged interference in Sudanese internal affairs.

The decision follows reports that Kenya is supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their efforts to establish a parallel government in Sudan—an action Khartoum considers a direct challenge to its authority.

Sudan’s military regime, embroiled in a prolonged conflict with the RSF, has increasingly used economic retaliation as a geopolitical tool.

In February this year, William Ruto allowed the RSF to hold a press conference in Nairobi, sparking backlash from the Sudan government and Kenyans on X.

Kenya now joins the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among key regional trade partners whose relations with Sudan have deteriorated over foreign policy disputes.

The ban poses a significant threat to Kenya’s tea sector, a major contributor to the country’s economy. Tea exports to Sudan, valued at billions of shillings annually, are now at risk.

According to the Tea Board of Kenya, Kenya’s tea industry generated Ksh 250 billion (US$1.93 billion) in total revenue in 2024, with Ksh 215 billion (US$1.66 billion) from exports.

In January 2024, Sudan recalled its ambassador from Nairobi in protest of Kenyan President William Ruto’s hosting of talks with the RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Daglo, whose forces have been at war with the regular army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since April 2023, had been touring African capitals on his first visit abroad of the conflict.

In a statement, Sudan’s acting foreign minister Ali al-Sadiq said the ambassador had been recalled “for consultations in protest of the official reception organized by the Kenyan government for the leader of the rebel militia.”