Relationship dossier
Kuwait
Sudan
Relationship assessment
Kuwaiti assistance and renewed engagement coexist with lasting historical strain over Sudan’s position in 1990
Kuwait toward Sudan
+35Kuwait has supported Sudan through development financing and humanitarian assistance, including Kuwait Fund activity and support for reconstruction. This represents concrete government-backed cooperation, though its scale and continuity are unclear.
Sudan toward Kuwait
-10Sudan supported Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, a major affront to Kuwait. Later bilateral engagement resumed, but the extent of Sudanese government cooperation with Kuwait is unclear.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines Kuwaiti development and humanitarian support with a major historical rupture caused by Sudan’s support for Iraq during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Subsequent engagement points to renewed ties, but the scale and durability of that cooperation are uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Kuwait has provided development and humanitarian support to Sudan, including through Kuwait Fund financing and support for reconstruction. Relations were seriously strained when Sudan supported Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Later bilateral engagement resumed, but the scope and consistency of cooperation are less clear.
Areas of tension
- Sudan’s support for Iraq following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait severely strained relations.
Key developments
Sudan supported Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait, causing a major bilateral rupture.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of Kuwait-funded development and humanitarian projects in Sudan are unclear.
- The extent of Sudanese-Kuwaiti government cooperation after the post-1990 rapprochement is uncertain.