Sudan, a new playground for business

Your account has been succesfully created.

Subscribe now

running story

SUDAN

Sudan, a new playground for business

The coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on 25 October 2021 has stopped Sudan's transition model dead in its tracks. With a military junta in power, international institutions and Western governments have stopped sending aid to Khartoum as they wait for guarantees from the new administration. Yet important economic reforms launched at the end of 2020 have turned Sudan into a new market which banks and multinationals are hoping to conquer. Meanwhile, Moscow, Beijing, Ankara and the Gulf states have been watching these developments from afar, only mildly condemning the regime change which may well work in their favour as they also try to seize opportunities in this new El Dorado.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at the international conference for Sudan in Paris, in May 2021. © Jacques Witt/Pool/Abaca/Reuters

SUDAN Diplomacy 17/01/2023

West's special envoys to meet in Khartoum

The West's special envoys for the Horn of Africa are due to meet in Khartoum in mid-February. They will discuss how they can best support the process that is supposed to lead quickly to the appointment of a prime minister and a government.

SUDAN Politics 14/12/2022

Former Darfur rebels hold out for fresh talks on 5 December agreement

Despite the proclaimed determination of the Sudanese political and military elite to get the political transition process under way, the 13-month stand-off, which has now ended, has left some parties seriously disgruntled.

SUDAN Politics 10/06/2022

Beja boycott intra-Sudanese dialogue amid community tensions

Eastern Sudan is still prey to strong divisions, which this week led to the resignation of the governor of Red Sea. This occurred on the eve of the national dialogue, which got underway on Wednesday under the auspices of the UN, AU and IGAD.

SUDAN Diplomacy 01/03/2022

Sovereignty council president Abdel Fatah Al-Burhan.

Upstaged by Hemeti's diplomatic tour, Burhan seeks security kudos

In a bid to regain some of the limelight stolen by his deputy, sovereignty council president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is working to unite Sudan's various militia groups into a single armed force.

SUDAN Diplomacy 17/02/2022

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki.

Moussa Faki given rough political ride on Khartoum visit

A missive signed by 35 prominent Sudanese figures and submitted to the African Union Commission chair has criticised the pan-African organisation for being too indulgent towards the military regime in Khartoum.

SpotlightSUDAN Politics 13/01/2022

Burhan faced with headache of replacing Hamdok

In the hope of not totally alienating itself from the United States and the European Union, the regime of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is striving to find an acceptable replacement for its civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, who quit the administration on 2 January.

SUDAN Diplomacy 10/01/2022

US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman.

Egos and interference cut short US special envoy Jeffrey Feltman's term

Struggling to make his mark in Sudan and in Ethiopia, diplomat Jeffrey Feltman remained in office for less than a year, during which his term was undermined by disagreements and differences of approach within the US State Department.

SUDAN Diplomacy 16/12/2021

Washington sets tough conditions for $700m in promised aid

The United States was the first to take punitive measures against Khartoum after the 25 October coup d'état. The State Department has since made the return of its aid conditional on the implementation of a four-phase plan.

SUDAN Politics 07/12/2021

With credibility damaged, Hamdok struggles to form government

Released from house arrest on 21 November, the Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdok has been asked to form a new government. Yet the task is proving to be very complicated, as by agreeing to return to office alongside General Burhan, he has significantly undermined his political credentials.

RUSSIA SUDAN Diplomacy 06/12/2021

Moscow prepares its return to Khartoum, following in Egypt's tracks

The Russian defence ministry's International Cooperation Directorate is preparing a trip to Sudan in a bid to renew ties with Khartoum despite its relative isolation on the international scene. Regardless of the military takeover, Moscow is still hoping to establish a naval base in the Red Sea.

SUDAN Politics 03/12/2021

Eastern leaders renew threat to blockade Port Sudan

A catalyst of the 25 October coup d'état, the blockading of the Khartoum-Port Sudan axis, the country's only supply route, is once again being envisaged by some leaders of eastern communities who are determined to make their voices heard.

EGYPT SUDAN Diplomacy 02/12/2021

Volker Perthes, head of UNITAMS (UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan).

UN Security Council awaits status report from Khartoum representative

Volker Perthes, head of UNITAMS (United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan) will soon submit a status report to the United Nations Security Council.

EGYPT SUDAN Diplomacy 23/11/2021

Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sissi.

Sissi sets up a diplomatic front to defend Burhan

After having actively backed General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's coup on 25 October, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are working to have it accepted by the international community. In Sudan itself, they put pressure on former prime minister Abdallah Hamdok to return to his post.

SUDAN Finance Business 17/11/2021

Banks follow states and financial institutions and ditch Burhan

Several European banks have suspended their transactions with Sudan after General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's coup d'état.

SpotlightEGYPT SUDAN Diplomacy 04/11/2021

Cairo fights Khartoum's corner at African Union

Egypt tried to put together a coalition to prevent the pan-African organisation from blackballing Sudan following the 25 October coup. Cairo and Khartoum have never been on closer terms.

SpotlightSUDAN Diplomacy 02/11/2021

Creditors use debt and aid as weapons to ply pressure on Burhan

In the wake of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's military coup on the 25 october, the US and World Bank have cut off their aid to Khartoum, while EU countries are biding their time. Sudan's creditors, who have so far held back from providing any debt relief, are lying in wait.

SUDAN Diplomacy 27/10/2021

From left to right: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdok at the International Conference for Sudan, May 2021.

Al-Burhan's coup d'état comes at the worst time for Paris

The 25 October coup by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan occurred just as France had been planning key meetings with Khartoum throughout November. For Paris, like London and Washington, has been trying to get a foothold in Sudan.

SUDAN Diplomacy 15/10/2021

Franck Riester, the French trade minister.

French trade minister prospects for banking, agriculture and airport deals in Khartoum

Franck Riester will end his African tour with a stopover in the Sudanese capital next month. He is hoping to cement links established between the Sudanese government and France's private sector.

SUDAN Politics 12/10/2021

Internal Palestinian conflict plays out in Khartoum

The confiscation late last month in Khartoum of the assets of four companies controlled by businessmen related to the Palestinian Hamas has aroused the envy of the Palestinian Authority.

SUDAN Infrastructure Business 29/09/2021

Hamburg Port Consulting in talks to extend Port Sudan contract

The German business consultancy hired earlier this year by the Sudan Ports Corporation to run the country's only international port aims to double container traffic.

SUDAN Infrastructure Business 27/09/2021

Port Sudan is currently the only international port in Sudan.

Operators jockey for Red Sea port contracts

The Sudanese government wants to build two new ports to complement Port Sudan, currently the country's only international terminal. The projects are still in their very early stages, but foreign operators are already jostling to offer their services.

SUDAN Infrastructure Business 22/09/2021

Huawei wants to be first to equip Sudanese operators

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is interested in the Sudanese market and is understood to be in talks with several operators, including Sudatel, with the view to deploy its antennae and mobile networks.

SUDAN Infrastructure Business 16/09/2021

Hamburg Port Consulting quietly streamlines Port Sudan

For three months now, Hamburg Port Consulting has been working to reduce delays for unloading ships at Port Sudan, the only international port in the country.

SpotlightSUDAN Politics 24/08/2021

Biden's massive aid plan stumbles

As Afghanistan crumbles, Washington is keen to show its backing for the Sudanese transition which is a rare case of a country breaking free from its fiercely anti-US Islamic government. But despite massive loan announcements, this support is failing to materialise into concrete projects.

SpotlightSUDAN UNITED STATES Business 26/07/2021

USAID gets off to inauspicious start in tackling Sudan's debt

With the United States, France and the United Kingdom all vying to become the partner of choice of the new regime in Sudan, the American development agency USAID, which was to select and finance an advisory bank to assist Sudan in restructuring its debt, has fluffed its lines and the tender call currently remains in limbo.

SAUDI ARABIA SUDAN Business Diplomacy 15/07/2021

Le Forum saoudien d'investissement au Soudan qui s'est déroulé à Riyad du 5 au 9 juillet.

Riyad looks to set up shop in Khartoum

Saudi Arabia is insistently courting Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok's government for its neighbour's arable land.

SUDAN Mining 13/07/2021

Gold boom brings back the miners

London-listed Pan African Resources, which already operates three gold mines in South Africa, has decided to turn to Sudan, a country rich in the yellow metal and now open to foreign investors. Companies from China, Iraq, and Armenia have also obtained permits from the authorities.

SUDAN Mining 06/07/2021

Herbert Smith Freehills well placed to revise mining code

A revision of Sudan's mining code is being considered as part of the series of reforms planned by Abdallah Hamdok's government aimed at attracting foreign investors.

SUDAN Mining 26/05/2021

Paris conference provided golden opportunity for Orca Gold

As the Sudanese economy opens up, the Canadian junior will be able to move forward with its Block 14 gold project.

SUDAN Energy Business 25/05/2021

Siemens inches closer to solar farm deal

During last week's conference in Paris, the German group began advanced talks with the delegation from Sudan, where the government has made the development of photovoltaic energy production a priority.

SUDAN Finance Business 17/05/2021

Islamic finance set to lose its monopoly

As part of its economic reform programme, Sudan is putting in place a two-track system where Islamic and conventional finance will operate side by side.

SUDAN Diplomacy 21/04/2021

Biden to become Juba accord's official sponsor

At the request of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, US. Special Envoy to Sudan Donald Booth, who manages day-to-day African affairs at the State Department, is set to travel to Sudan to offer his government's guarantorship of the peace process.

SUDAN UNITED STATES Diplomacy 19/04/2021

Biden strives to become Khartoum's exclusive partner

The keen competition among Western capitals in recent months to become Khartoum's leading partner has entered a new phase following the appointment of a Sudan specialist to take charge of US diplomacy throughout Africa.

SUDAN Politics 30/03/2021

New investment minister Al-Hadi Mohamed takes on push-me-pull-you role

Sudan's minister of investment and international cooperation Al-Hadi Mohamed Ibrahim will have to accept a few contradictions in order to carry out his new role.

SUDAN Mining 18/02/2021

Khartoum reassures foreign miners to curry favour with IMF and Biden

A new police unit to prevent violence and gold trafficking is what the Sudanese government has promised for the coming months, hoping to attract investors, but also the support of international donors.

SpotlightSUDAN Politics 16/02/2021

People celebrate after the signing of the Juba agreement on October 3, 2020.

Hemeti struggling to finance path to peace

Deemed overly ambitious, the peace deal Khartoum agreed to with rebel groups in October is having trouble finding funds.

SpotlightSUDAN Business 21/01/2021

Biden, Macron and Johnson cosy up to sanctions-free Khartoum

Newly freed from the US sanctions that locked it out of the world's financial markets, Khartoum is set to make its international comeback. The next six months will see France, the UK, and the US jostle to become Sudan's leading partner, especially when it comes to debt restructuring.

Stay updated on this topic

Our other running stories

KENYA

Facing courts and shareholders, Monaco Resources Group living on borrowed time - and money

Algerian secret services in survival mode in North Mali

William Ruto's new order

Africa in the Russia-Ukraine war

The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado

Sudan, a new playground for business

West's special envoys to meet in Khartoum

Former Darfur rebels hold out for fresh talks on 5 December agreement

Beja boycott intra-Sudanese dialogue amid community tensions

Upstaged by Hemeti's diplomatic tour, Burhan seeks security kudos

Moussa Faki given rough political ride on Khartoum visit

Burhan faced with headache of replacing Hamdok

Egos and interference cut short US special envoy Jeffrey Feltman's term

Washington sets tough conditions for $700m in promised aid

With credibility damaged, Hamdok struggles to form government

Moscow prepares its return to Khartoum, following in Egypt's tracks

Eastern leaders renew threat to blockade Port Sudan

UN Security Council awaits status report from Khartoum representative

Sissi sets up a diplomatic front to defend Burhan

Banks follow states and financial institutions and ditch Burhan

Cairo fights Khartoum's corner at African Union

Creditors use debt and aid as weapons to ply pressure on Burhan

Al-Burhan's coup d'état comes at the worst time for Paris

French trade minister prospects for banking, agriculture and airport deals in Khartoum

Internal Palestinian conflict plays out in Khartoum

Hamburg Port Consulting in talks to extend Port Sudan contract

Operators jockey for Red Sea port contracts

Huawei wants to be first to equip Sudanese operators

Hamburg Port Consulting quietly streamlines Port Sudan

Biden's massive aid plan stumbles

USAID gets off to inauspicious start in tackling Sudan's debt

Riyad looks to set up shop in Khartoum

Gold boom brings back the miners

Herbert Smith Freehills well placed to revise mining code

Paris conference provided golden opportunity for Orca Gold

Siemens inches closer to solar farm deal

Islamic finance set to lose its monopoly

Biden to become Juba accord's official sponsor

Biden strives to become Khartoum's exclusive partner

New investment minister Al-Hadi Mohamed takes on push-me-pull-you role

Khartoum reassures foreign miners to curry favour with IMF and Biden

Hemeti struggling to finance path to peace

Biden, Macron and Johnson cosy up to sanctions-free Khartoum

Stay updated on this topic

Our other running stories

William Ruto's new order

Africa in the Russia-Ukraine war

The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado

First visit

Contacts

Tools

Follow us

A website produced by

Indigo Publications also publishes: