Sudan lifts its 20-month ban on Kenyan tea imports after Ruto's talks with Prime Minister Idris
Sudan has lifted the ban it imposed on Kenyan tea in March 2025, reopening one of Kenyan tea's leading export markets. Sudan's industry and trade minister signed the order lifting the ban on 8 November, and President William Ruto announced the decision on Wednesday after meeting Sudan's prime minister, Kamil Idris, at the COMESA summit in Harare. Khartoum imposed the ban after Nairobi hosted meetings of the RSF, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan's army; when shipments will resume has not been announced.
Key points
- Sudan's Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, signed on 8 November, lifts the ban on Kenyan tea imports with immediate effect.
- President Ruto announced the decision after meeting Prime Minister Kamil Idris at the COMESA summit in Harare.
- The ban, imposed in March 2025, followed Nairobi's hosting of RSF meetings; Khartoum said it acted to protect its sovereignty.
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- Tea Board of Kenya figures put Sudan's 2024 purchases at 10.7 million kilogrammes worth Sh2.3 billion; no resumption date has been announced.
What happened
Sudan's ban was one of the sharpest economic consequences of its war-driven dispute with Kenya. After the RSF — the paramilitary group fighting Sudan's army in the civil war — met in Nairobi with allied groups and signed a charter for a parallel government, Khartoum suspended imports from Kenya in March 2025, cutting tea exporters off from a market that had bought large volumes of Kenyan black tea for years.
The lifting was prepared in public view: Sudan's ambassador in Nairobi said in late October that the process had reached its final stages, the Sovereignty Council approved the move on 2 November, the Cabinet communicated it on 5 November, and the trade minister's order followed on 8 November. President Ruto announced it after meeting Prime Minister Kamil Idris at the COMESA summit in Harare.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- Sudan's trade minister signed the order lifting the ban on 8 November, with immediate effect, after Sovereignty Council and Cabinet approvals.
- President Ruto announced the decision after meeting Prime Minister Idris at the COMESA summit in Harare.
- The ban dated from March 2025 and followed Nairobi's hosting of RSF meetings; Sudan said it acted to protect its sovereignty.
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- Tea Board of Kenya figures put Sudan's 2024 purchases at 10.7 million kilogrammes worth Sh2.3 billion.
What we don't know yet
- When Kenyan tea shipments to Sudan will actually resume, and whether any conditions will apply — the announcement did not say.
- Whether direct Nairobi–Khartoum flights will start in December as the Sudanese embassy has said is planned.
Claim by claim
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Why this label: The order's number, date and approval chain are reported in the same terms by several Kenyan outlets that carried the order, including People Daily, the Eastleigh Voice and Radio Generation; no outlet read reported a conflicting version.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Ruto's announcement and his own words, reported by Capital FM, read in full; the meeting and the announcement are also reported across Kenyan media.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The ban's timing and trigger are reported consistently across Kenyan coverage; the sovereignty and national-security wording is Sudan's own stated reason, carried as its position.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The 2024 volume and value are the Tea Board of Kenya's figures as cited by The Brief; the warehouse figure is the East African Tea Trade Association managing director's, as reported by People Daily. Larger annual estimates carried in some coverage are not used here because they do not name their source.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The ambassador's own statements at his Nairobi briefing, reported by Sacco Review and the Eastleigh Voice; the flight plan is the embassy's announcement, and no launch has yet been confirmed.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Tea is one of Kenya's biggest foreign-exchange earners and supports millions of livelihoods. Reopening the Sudanese market restores a major outlet for Kenyan growers and exporters — and marks a public thaw between Nairobi and Khartoum after nearly two years of dispute over the RSF's presence in Kenya.
Background
Show the background timeline (6)
The RSF and allied groups sign a charter in Nairobi setting out plans for a parallel government in Sudan.
Sudan suspends imports from Kenya, including tea, saying it is protecting its sovereignty and national security.
Sudan's ambassador in Nairobi says the process of lifting the tea ban has reached its final stages.
Sudan's Sovereignty Council approves the lifting, followed by a Cabinet communication.
Trade Minister Mahasin Ali Yaqoub signs Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, lifting the ban with immediate effect.
President Ruto announces the decision after meeting Prime Minister Kamil Idris in Harare.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published — Sudan's ministerial order lifting the ban and President Ruto's announcement are both confirmed; when the first shipments will move has not been announced.