Relationship dossier
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Relationship assessment
Strategic cooperation, financial support and Saudi-led mediation amid Sudan’s conflict
Saudi Arabia toward Sudan
+45Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged $3 billion in aid and deposits to Sudan in 2019. In 2023, Saudi Arabia co-hosted talks between Sudan’s warring parties, which produced the Jeddah Declaration on protecting civilians.
Sudan toward Saudi Arabia
+40Sudan joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015 and shifted away from Iran, including by severing ties with Tehran in 2014. These moves aligned Sudan’s policy with major Saudi regional priorities.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship has included meaningful strategic alignment and material support, alongside Saudi Arabia’s later role in mediating Sudan’s conflict. Cooperation has been substantial but its durability and effects are constrained by political upheaval and the limited implementation of mediation efforts.
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
Saudi Arabia and Sudan have had substantial strategic cooperation. Sudan joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and shifted away from Iran, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged financial support to Sudan in 2019. Saudi Arabia later co-hosted talks between Sudan’s warring parties, producing the May 2023 Jeddah Declaration on protecting civilians. The scope and implementation of these efforts have varied.
Key developments
Sudan severed ties with Iran, a move accompanying closer alignment with Saudi Arabia.
Sudan joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged $3 billion in aid and deposits to Sudan.
Saudi Arabia and the United States hosted talks that produced the Jeddah Declaration on commitments to protect civilians in Sudan.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of Saudi financial and other support to Sudan are unclear.
- The implementation and effects of the Jeddah Declaration remain uncertain.
- Sudan’s governing authorities and foreign-policy positions have shifted amid the conflict.