Sudan · TRADE
Key Facts
- The import ban Sudan suspended all imports from Kenya on 11 March 2025 after Nairobi hosted Rapid Support Forces representatives who signed a parallel government charter.
- Tea trade value Kenyan tea exports to Sudan were worth roughly US$70 million a year before the ban, with Sudan ranking among Kenya’s top five tea destinations.
- Broader exports Total Kenyan exports to Sudan reached US$48.2 million in 2023, with tea at US$29.6 million, processed tobacco at US$3.66 million and seed oils at US$1.84 million.
- Partial relief Sudan later allowed 207 containers of already-arrived Kenyan tea to be cleared at Mombasa, but described this as a temporary reprieve rather than a lifting of the ban.
- Current status Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi has stated the March 2025 ban has not been revoked and no Kenyan products have been imported since then.
- Diplomatic push Kenyan politician Kalonzo Musyoka has urged Sudan to reopen the market, while Khartoum frames the issue as a matter of sovereignty and non-interference.
Sudan has signalled a willingness to reopen its tea market to Kenya, though the March 2025 import ban remains formally in place and no Kenyan products have been cleared since it took effect.
How the Sudan tea market ban began
Sudan’s Ministry of Trade announced a suspension of all imports from Kenya on 11 March 2025. The decision came days after Nairobi hosted representatives of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s national army in a civil war that erupted in April 2023.
The RSF delegates signed a charter for a parallel government on Kenyan soil, a move Khartoum treated as a hostile political act. Sudan responded by closing its ports, border crossings and airports to every category of Kenyan goods.
Tea was the most visible casualty. Before the ban, Sudan imported roughly 35 million kilogrammes of Kenyan tea each year, worth approximately US$70 million annually, making it one of Kenya’s top five tea export destinations.
What the ban cost both sides
Kenyan tea shipments were stranded in warehouses and transit immediately after the ban. Industry groups warned of mounting losses for exporters and smallholder farmers who depend on the Sudan market for a significant share of their income.
Total Kenyan exports to Sudan reached US$48.2 million in 2023, according to trade data cited in reporting. Tea accounted for US$29.6 million of that figure, followed by processed tobacco at US$3.66 million and seed oils at US$1.84 million.
Sudan also paid a price. The country is war-ravaged and import-dependent, facing supply disruptions in food, pharmaceuticals and everyday goods. Cutting off Kenyan tea removed a reliable input from Sudanese markets, making the ban a self-imposed economic cost used for diplomatic leverage.
The partial reprieve that was not a reopening
Sudan later permitted 207 containers of Kenyan tea that had already arrived at Mombasa to be cleared through customs. Officials described this as a temporary administrative reprieve, not a policy reversal.
Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi has since stated unequivocally that the March 2025 ban has not been revoked. No Kenyan products, including tea, have been imported since the ban took effect, the embassy confirmed.
The “willingness” to reopen the Sudan tea market appears to reflect reported diplomatic overtures rather than an implemented policy change. Kenyan politician Kalonzo Musyoka has publicly urged Sudan to restore trade ties, but Khartoum continues to frame the issue as one of sovereignty and non-interference in its internal affairs.
Why tea is a political commodity
Tea is not just an export item for Kenya. It is a major foreign-currency earner and a livelihood base for hundreds of thousands of rural smallholders, which makes any disruption to the Sudan tea market politically sensitive in Nairobi.
For Khartoum, the import ban was a retaliatory signal aimed at Kenya’s decision to host RSF figures. Sudan’s government regards the RSF as an existential armed challenger, and it used trade policy to punish what it saw as Kenyan endorsement of a rival political project.
Any genuine reopening of the tea trade would therefore signal either a diplomatic concession from Nairobi or a tactical de-escalation by Khartoum. It would not be a simple commercial decision but a barometer of the political temperature between the two capitals.
The regional power contest behind the dispute
Kenya’s outreach to RSF figures sits inside a wider competition over who shapes Sudan’s postwar order. Regional commentary has accused Nairobi of enabling one side’s political project, while Sudan insists the matter is about sovereignty and non-interference.
The Sudan conflict is widely understood to be entangled with outside patrons. Reporting and commentary have focused on the United Arab Emirates in connection with RSF financing and support, while Russia and China remain significant in Sudan’s broader external economic and security environment.
Sudan is embedded in multiple regional trade structures, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). Long-run development studies stress that trade integration is essential to Sudan’s recovery, making the ban a costly deviation from that path. The wider scramble for influence across the Horn of Africa is tracked in our pillar Africa: The New Scramble.
What to watch next in the Sudan tea market saga
The key signal will be whether Sudan’s trade ministry issues a formal notice revoking or amending the March 2025 ban. Without that, any talk of reopening remains diplomatic positioning rather than actionable policy.
Kenyan tea exporters and industry bodies will be watching for movement on the 207 containers already cleared as a precedent. If more shipments are allowed through Mombasa, it could indicate a gradual, undeclared thaw rather than a formal announcement.
The broader diplomatic track matters too. Any shift in Kenya’s stance toward the RSF, or a regional mediation effort that addresses Sudan’s sovereignty concerns, could unlock the trade relationship faster than bilateral commercial negotiations alone.
What we could not confirm
Sudan has published no decree lifting the ban. What exists is a statement by its ambassador to Kenya, Kamal Jabara Gubara, that the country is ready to reopen the trade.
The 207 containers frequently cited in coverage were stranded at Mombasa when the ban landed in March 2025. They were not cleared at Port Sudan, and that distinction matters.
The figure comes from former Kenyan vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka, in a statement of 6 August 2026 that valued the stranded tea at more than US$24 million.
Until a trade ministry order appears, this is a diplomatic signal rather than an open market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Sudan actually reopened its tea market to Kenya?
No. Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi has stated the March 2025 import ban has not been revoked and no Kenyan products have been imported since it took effect.
Why did Sudan ban Kenyan imports in the first place?
Sudan suspended all imports from Kenya on 11 March 2025 after Nairobi hosted Rapid Support Forces representatives who signed a charter for a parallel government.
How much was the Kenya-Sudan tea trade worth before the ban?
Sudan imported roughly 35 million kilogrammes of Kenyan tea worth approximately US$70 million a year, making it one of Kenya’s top five tea export destinations.
Connected Coverage
The wider contest for influence across the Horn of Africa, including the Sudan conflict and its external patrons, is tracked in our pillar Africa: The New Scramble.
Sources
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