Commercial activity recommences along Sudan-Libya border route
Commercial trade has recommenced along the desert triangle border route that links Sudan, Libya, and Egypt, according to the Libya Review via Darfur24 on January 4th.
Following a prolonged slowdown in trade, the renewal of commercial activity along the border crossing comes after the corridor was reopened. Darfur24, a Sudanese news outlet, reported that traders are traveling towards south-eastern Libya on a weekly basis to transport goods and fuel to markets in both Sudan and Libya.
The report outlines that small commercial vehicles have started to transport various supplies from Sudanese territory towards the Libyan city of Kufra, which has long been a significant logistical hub which connects North Africa with the Sahel.
Kufra has also become one of many cities in Libya which have transformed into major urban hosts of Sudanese refugees who fled the brutal civil war ravaging their home country.
In late December 2025, over 1,600 Sudanese refugees residing in the city were given essential humanitarian relief items sourced by the United Nations in order to help them cope with poor living conditions.
Traders have also been transiting through the Kufra-Rabiana route prior to crossing into Sudanese territory from the eastern side of the border triangle. They ultimately transport their goods to various cities in the Sudanese state of North Darfur.
Speaking to Darfur24, some Sudanese traders said that the revival of small-scale commercial trade has stabilised the local economy in North Darfur by easing fuel shortages, increasing the availability of basic commodities, and lowering prices due to increased supply.
The heightened activity in the border triangle signifies an improvement in the area’s security situation. In late June 2025, the Sudanese rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a widely feared and extremely violent paramilitary group at war with Sudan’s national army, seized control of the highly strategic zone, stifling activity.
However, ever since the RSF seized control of North Darfur’s capital of El-Fasher in late October, a new frontline of the war has materialised to the east in the central region of Kordofan, reducing combatant presence in Darfur as the paramilitary focuses resources elsewhere.
Indeed, international humanitarian aid workers accessed El-Fasher for the first time since its fall to the RSF and reported very few signs of life. The UN stated that the visit was conducted to assess whether it was safe to start transporting basic aid supplies into the city in order to alleviate the suffering of residents. This project will likely be supplemented by the increase in trade to the region.
Libya Review via Darfur24, Maghrebi.org
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