Sudan maintains that it has not lifted the ban on tea imports from Kenya, which was implemented around three weeks ago as a protest against Nairobi’s association with the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that are battling the governing military council.<\/p>\n
\n On Tuesday, Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi refuted President William Ruto’s statements from Monday evening, claiming that Kenyan merchants continue to sell tea to Sudan. These claims were deemed incorrect by the embassy.\n<\/p>\n
\n During a joint interview with local radio and TV outlets held at the Sagana State Lodge in central Kenya, the president stated, \u201cDespite their claim of not purchasing our tea, we continue to sell tea to Sudan. The demand for our product compels them to do so. Therefore, there isn\u2019t an issue regarding the sale of tea, which contributes positively to profits within the tea industry.\u201d However, on Tuesday, Sudan released a statement asserting that the import ban imposed on March 11, 2025, was never reconsidered.
\n “The Ministry of Trade and Supplies in Sudan enacted a directive halting all goods coming from Kenya according to what aligns best with Sudan\u2019s national interests,\u201d explained the embassy. \u201cThis measure has been strictly enforced, ensuring that no items originating from Kenya\u2014tea included\u2014are allowed entry into Sudan. We remain steadfast in maintaining these trading policies due to significant domestic economic and diplomatic reasons,” the communication concluded.\n<\/p>\n
\n They also stated that any assertions to the contrary are baseless and incorrect.\n<\/p>\n
\n Meanwhile, Khartoum reiterated its “dedication to regional collaboration and productive discussions, adhering to the tenets of mutual respect and non-intervention.” Tea merchants informed The EastAfrican that approximately 207 shipping containers filled with tea destined for export to Sudan are currently stalled within the supply chain, which could result in damages exceeding $10 million.\n<\/p>\n
\n The East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) Managing Director, George Omuga, has urged Nairobi to collaborate with Sudan in granting at least a one-month period for clearing tea shipments destined for that nation. This move aims to minimize potential financial setbacks for both merchants and growers.\n<\/p>\n
\n There are 400 bags of tea headed for Sudan at the port of Mombasa, along with various shipments stored in warehouses, navigating the high seas, and waiting at Port Sudan for approval.\n<\/p>\n
\n In early March, Eatta expressed worries over possible repercussions in Sudan, a crucial marketplace for the nation’s tea industry, following the RSF’s holding of a ceremonial political gathering in Nairobi aimed at establishing an alternative administration.\n<\/p>\n
\n Black market brew: Sudan conflict disrupts Kenya’s tea exports
\n Sudan has labeled Kenya\u2019s sheltering of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in combat with the Sudanese army since March 2023, as hostile towards the Sudanese population. Consequently, they imposed a prohibition on imports from Kenya into their country.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kenya ranks among the top 10 suppliers of tea to Sudan, and the current conflict could lead to reduced exports, affecting bilateral commerce.\n<\/p>\n
\n Other Kenyan goods shipped to Sudan include food items and medicines.\n<\/p>\n
Prior to the present deadlock, Sudan purchased approximately $37 million worth of Kenyan tea. This information was provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.
\nSyndigate.info
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Sudan maintains that it has not lifted the ban on tea imports from Kenya, which was implemented around three weeks ago as a protest against Nairobi’s association with the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that are battling the governing military council. On Tuesday, Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi refuted President William Ruto’s statements from Monday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[483,283,457,391,316],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa","category-business","category-controversies","category-government","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3892\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}