Relationship dossier
South Africa
Sudan
Relationship assessment
South Africa has engaged with Sudan through African Union diplomacy, alongside a major dispute over Bashir’s 2015 visit.
South Africa toward Sudan
+15South Africa has engaged with Sudan’s political transition through African Union diplomacy. In 2015, South Africa hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for an African Union summit; South African authorities did not prevent his departure despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
Sudan toward South Africa
Not assessedOverall relationship
Not assessedHow 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
South Africa has engaged with Sudan’s political transition through African Union diplomacy and hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at the 2015 African Union summit. That visit became contentious when South African authorities did not prevent Bashir from leaving despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Information about Sudanese government policy toward South Africa beyond this episode is insufficient to assess the relationship fully.
Areas of tension
- South Africa’s failure to prevent Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country during his 2015 visit, despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
Key developments
South Africa hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at an African Union summit. He left the country despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, prompting a dispute over South Africa’s obligations.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of South African bilateral cooperation with Sudan are unclear.
- Details of Sudanese government cooperation with South Africa beyond the 2015 summit are limited.