Al-Daein, November 4 (Darfur24)
Traders in Darfur reported on Monday that authorities in the city of Al-Dabba, in northern Sudan, have suspended the issuance of shipping permits for goods bound for Darfur, following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of El Fasher, the last army stronghold in the Darfur region.
According to traders, the decision to block shipments was implemented on October 27, a day after the RSF seized control of El Fasher.
Hassan Issa, a trader in the Al-Daein market in East Darfur State, told Darfur24 that traders were surprised by the sudden suspension of shipping documents for trucks heading to Darfur.
He explained that Al-Dabba authorities had previously allowed the movement of goods to North Darfur after the RSF took control of Al-Nuhud in West Kordofan.
A shipping agency owner in Al-Dabba, speaking anonymously, confirmed to Darfur24 that local authorities decided to ban the shipment of all goods and food supplies to Darfur and Kordofan localities currently under RSF control.
Meanwhile, a trader in Al-La’it locality in North Darfur said that merchants have begun traveling to Ghubaysh in West Kordofan to purchase food and other supplies. He added that much of the merchandise reaching Ghubaysh is smuggled from Al-Dabba.
Observers warned that the move is likely to increase the prices of essential goods, particularly those imported from Port Sudan and Egypt through the country’s northern trade routes, worsening the already dire humanitarian and economic situation in Darfur.
It is worth noting that in October 2024, the RSF announced a ban on transporting agricultural, livestock, and mineral products from areas under its control in western Sudan to regions controlled by the army in the north, east, and center of the country.