Sudan on Thursday suspended all imports from Kenya for the latter’s hosting of activities involving the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in late February.
“The import of all products from Kenya via all ports, crossings, airports, and entry points is suspended starting from this date until further notice,” said a decree issued by Sudan’s Acting Minister of Trade and Supplies Omar Ahmed Mohamed Ali, a copy of which Xinhua obtained.
The decree said it was based on Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2024 and by the powers stipulated in Cabinet Decision No. 104 of 2021. It was also based on the recommendation of a cabinet committee formed to address Kenya’s hosting of the RSF, its allies, and its sponsors.
It further noted that the decision was also made to protect Sudan’s “supreme interests,” affirm its sovereignty, and safeguard its national security.
On Feb. 22, the RSF and its allied political and armed groups signed “a political charter” in Nairobi expressing the intention to form a “parallel government” in Sudan.
Two days later, the Sudanese government slammed Kenya for supporting the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since mid-April 2023 and called Kenya’s hosting of the signing ceremony “a hostile act and blatant interference in Sudan’s internal affairs” and a violation of all international charters and agreements.
The Kenyan Foreign Ministry defended its hosting of the RSF event, saying it was “consistent with Kenya’s role in peace negotiations, which requires it to provide non-partisan platforms for conflict parties to seek resolutions.”
Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023, claiming at least 29,683 lives by the end of 2024, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a crisis monitoring group.
According to trade data, Sudan is the tenth-largest importer of Kenyan tea globally and the second-largest African importer of the product.
Data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) shows Kenya exported $48.2 million of goods to Sudan in 2023. The main exports were tea ($29.6 million), processed tobacco ($3.66 million), and seed oils ($1.84 million). Kenyan exports to Sudan have decreased at an annualized rate of 7.07% over the past five years, falling from $69.5 million in 2018 to $48.2 million in 2023.
