Relationship dossier
Sudan
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic engagement and development cooperation have been offset by political upheaval and UK sanctions.
Sudan toward United Kingdom
+10Sudan’s transitional authorities engaged the UK on political and economic reform after the 2019 change of government. The extent to which this engagement produced durable bilateral cooperation is unclear.
United Kingdom toward Sudan
+15The UK provided development support and backed Sudan’s civilian-led political transition. After the 2021 military coup, it suspended some assistance and later imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Sudan’s conflict, combining cooperation with pressure.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship has included UK development support and diplomatic engagement with Sudanese authorities, but cooperation has been disrupted by Sudan’s political upheaval and armed conflict. UK assistance suspensions and sanctions form a significant counterweight to engagement.
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
Relations combine diplomatic engagement and development cooperation with significant strain over Sudan’s political transition and armed conflict. Sudan’s transitional authorities engaged the United Kingdom on economic and political reform, while the UK provided development support and backed a civilian-led transition. The UK later suspended some assistance after the 2021 military coup and imposed sanctions on individuals linked to the conflict. The breadth and continuity of cooperation have varied across Sudanese governments.
Areas of tension
- The 2021 military coup and the subsequent interruption of the civilian-led transition.
- UK sanctions on individuals linked to Sudan’s conflict.
Key developments
Following Sudan’s 2019 change of government, the UK engaged with transitional authorities on political and economic reform.
The UK suspended some assistance after Sudan’s 2021 military coup.
The UK imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Sudan’s conflict.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and continuity of Sudan–UK development and political cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Sudanese government cooperation with UK initiatives during the political transition is uncertain.
- The effects of UK sanctions and assistance suspensions on bilateral cooperation are unclear.