Sudan Strengthens Diplomatic and Security Ties with Saudi Arabia and Turkey Over Red Sea Priorities

ANKARA — Sudan intensified its diplomatic engagement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Monday, as Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salem conducted talks in Riyadh and senior army commander Yasir Abdelrahman Hassan Elatta visited Ankara, reflecting enhanced Saudi-Turkish collaboration on Red Sea security.

During the Riyadh meeting, Salem and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan co-chaired high-level political consultations, during which both sides formalized the establishment of a Saudi-Sudanese Coordination Council. This new body aims to institutionalize bilateral cooperation across key sectors, with commitments to deepen strategic partnerships in areas including trade, security, and energy, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Elatta’s visit to Ankara, hosted as an official guest by Turkish Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, included bilateral discussions with Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Bayraktaroglu. The Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed the meetings but provided no additional details about their content.

These visits follow a series of high-level diplomatic exchanges between Ankara and Sudan’s military authorities. On July 28, Salem met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, where both parties signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between their diplomatic academies. Earlier, in June, Sudanese Sovereignty Council head and army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state visit to Turkey.

Contextual Background: Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have aligned their support with Burhan and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in their ongoing conflict against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. The war, which began in April 2023, has precipitated one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, displacing millions and disrupting essential services.

Erdogan reiterated his support for Burhan in a recent interview with Al-Jazeera, stating, “I truly saw Sudan’s leader, at this stage, as a leader worthy of Sudan,” a declaration underscoring Turkey’s continued advocacy for the SAF leadership.

The timing of these diplomatic efforts coincides with renewed RSF drone strikes near Khartoum and intensified clashes in the strategical Kordofan region. This area is critical as it separates SAF-controlled territories—including Khartoum and the Red Sea port city of Port Sudan—from RSF strongholds in Darfur, such as Nyala, El Geneina, and El Fasher.

While the SAF recaptured Khartoum and the central Al Jazirah region in 2025, the RSF maintains significant control over Darfur and parts of Kordofan, creating a fragmented security landscape.

Strategic Implications: Coordinated Saudi-Turkish efforts are increasingly focused on securing the Red Sea, where renewed Houthi attacks have heightened risks to commercial shipping and Saudi energy infrastructure. Riyadh recently announced plans for a 14-nation maritime security coalition, comprising Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan, and others, to protect the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden.

The coalition initiative emerged in response to the Houthis’ July 20 declaration of a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and subsequent attacks on Saudi-linked vessels and infrastructure. Sudan’s geographic position, with its Red Sea coastline directly opposite Saudi Arabia, places it at the heart of this critical maritime corridor.

Regional Dynamics: Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s growing alignment with Sudanese military factions contrasts with allegations of UAE-supplied weaponry to the RSF. UN experts and Western officials have accused Abu Dhabi of providing support to the paramilitary group, claims that the UAE has publicly denied.

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