Editor's Review

“The import of all products coming from the State of Kenya through all ports, crossings, airports, and outlets is suspended." 

Sudan’s Ministry of Trade and Supply has banned all imports from Kenya in protest of the country’s decision to host the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nairobi.

In a letter seen by Nairobileo.co.ke, Sudan’s Trade Minister Omar Ahmed Mohamed Ali said products from Kenya would not be allowed in Sudan until further notice.

“The import of all products coming from the State of Kenya through all ports, crossings, airports, and outlets is suspended, effective from this date until further notice. All concerned parties must implement the decision,” the letter read in part.

The letter also noted that the directive is based on Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2024 and in accordance with the powers stipulated in Cabinet Decision No. 104 of 2021.

It was also based on recommendations from a committee formed to address Kenya’s hosting of the RSF, its allies, and its sponsors.

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File image of William Ruto and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

“Based on Cabinet Resolution No. (129) of 2024 AD, and in accordance with the powers stipulated in Cabinet Resolution No. (104) of 2021 AD, and based on the recommendation of the committee formed by the Sovereignty Council to deal with the State of Kenya for hosting the Rapid Support Militia and its allies and sponsoring their activities and meetings, and in order to preserve Sudan’s supreme interests and confirm its sovereignty and protect its national security,” the letter added.

RSF and a coalition of allied political and armed groups signed a political charter on February 23 in Nairobi to establish a parallel government in Sudan.

The charter, described by signatories as the foundation for a 'Government of Peace and Unity,' outlines ambitious goals including the creation of a secular, democratic, and decentralized state with a unified national army.

Kenya’s hosting of the RSF leaders in Nairobi did sit well with the Sovereign Council of Sudan, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Sudan is the tenth largest importer of Kenyan tea globally, and the ban on Kenyan products will cause Kenya to lose billions of shillings.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Kenya exported goods worth $48.2 (6.2 billion) million to Sudan in 2023.