Exceptional measures at Qustul port halt Egypt-Sudan truck freight
October 15, 2026 (QUSTUL) – Egyptian authorities at the Qustul border crossing have ordered cargo trucks bound for Sudan to halt transit and gather at municipal parking facilities, suspending river ferry operations until further notice.
The restrictions follow volatile security developments across the border in Sudan’s Northern State, dealing a swift blow to bilateral commercial traffic flowing through Egypt’s Qustul port and its Sudanese counterpart, Ashkeet.
The move comes in the wake of an air strike on October 10 that hit artisanal gold miners near the frontier, killing roughly 200 people, according to eyewitness accounts.
The carnage drew condemnation from political factions, armed groups, and human rights bodies, all demanding an international investigation to establish accountability.
Sudan’s military leader and head of the Transitional Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, subsequently established a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
Cross-border tensions worsened two days later when a gunman shot Egyptian truck drivers south of Khartoum, leaving two dead and a third wounded.
Border transit restricted to passenger vehicles
An official letter from Egypt’s General Authority for Land and Dry Ports instructed border officials to limit crossings to passenger buses, private cars, microbuses, and individual travellers, indefinitely halting commercial freight.
The directive tied the freeze directly to regional security assessments in Sudan and provided no timeline for when freight hauliers would be permitted to resume operations.
Diplomatic outreach intensified on Wednesday when Darfur Regional Governor Minni Arko Minawi met Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Sorour at the embassy’s temporary mission in Port Sudan.
Minawi urged Cairo and Khartoum to establish direct intelligence and evidence-sharing on the air strike to reassure the public and ease simmering tensions.
The Darfur governor noted that most of the miners killed hailed from his western region, making a transparent inquiry essential for grieving communities awaiting answers.
During the meeting, Egyptian officials expressed formal regret over the deaths and conveyed condolences to the families, reiterating Cairo’s commitment to clarifying the facts through joint investigative channels.
Surging trade corridor faces disruption
The border paralysis threatens a critical trade route that has expanded substantially despite wider regional turmoil.
Bilateral trade between Egypt and Sudan rose to $759 million in the first half of 2026, up from $570 million in the same period of 2025, according to data from Egypt’s export and import control authority.
Egyptian exports drove that growth, jumping roughly 40% from $429 million to $595 million.
Sudanese exports to the Egyptian market also rose roughly 16%, from $141 million to $164 million.
The sudden suspension of truck crossings immediately strains this growing commercial corridor, raising concerns about prolonged supply chain bottlenecks if freight transit remains frozen.