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Sudan | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Sudanese embassy, Riyadh | Saudi Arabian embassy, Khartoum |
Saudi Arabia–Sudan relations is therelationship betweenSaudi Arabia andSudan.
Despite sharing a strong historical relationship as for being majorityArab nations, Saudi Arabia and Sudan's relationship is often marked with divisions between cooperation and conflict. Due to this, Sudan and Saudi Arabia often have some significant rifts with each other over diplomatic stances.Omar al-Bashir's recent decision to send Sudanese troops fighting inYemen was considered to be a boost of developing relationship, which had once been strained for decades. As a result, Sudan was admitted into Saudi Arabia's fragileIslamic Military Alliance.
Sudan and Saudi Arabia established relationship after Sudanese independence in 1956. Relationship between two countries was seen as stable, despite several instability issues in Sudan.
On March 1, 1973, the Saudi embassy inKhartoum wasattacked by the Palestinian guerrillaswhich was an attempt to affect the Middle East policy of the US.[1]
However, afterOmar al-Bashir put a coup in 1989, relations soon strained. Sudan was accused by Saudi Arabia to be a client state ofIran and had involved, in a limit level, sanctions against Sudan as well as providingDarfur rebels and the Saudi Government also called for the separation ofSouth Sudan, which was finally achieved in 2011. Saudi Arabia also called to charge Sudan's al-Bashir for the "genocide" in Darfur,[2] although Saudi Arabia also pledged to fund for the reconstruction of Darfur.[3] Relationship between Saudi Arabia and Sudan was significantly sour.
Prior to Yemeni war, in 2014, the two had been working to restore the tie, which was address by al-Bashir as "normal".[4]
Sudan had stood against Saudi Arabia during theGulf War, fueled angers among other Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, who was defendingKuwait againstIraq. As for the result, Saudi Arabia imposed harsher economic sanctions and reduced diplomatic ties with Sudan.
The war inYemen provided a significant change in the relations, which turned Saudi Arabia and Sudan from rivalry into partnership. Sudan had expelled Iranian diplomats from the country and sent troops to fight alongside Saudi troops in Yemen against theHouthis. This surprising change put Sudan on the headline and the Saudi Government had reapproached Sudan. This made two nations boosted their tie again while the relationship between Sudan and Iran had gone into a very low point.[5]
Two countries have been engaging in a closer military cooperation[6] and Sudan had lobbied Saudi Arabia to lift off sanctions against Sudan by theUnited States, a long time ally of Saudi Arabia, which, was done in 2017 under Trump Administration. However, given the historical mistreatment in the two nations' relations, it is unclear how long the alliance could last.[7]
In May 2021, Saudi Arabia decided to grant Sudan $20 million to help the country with its debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).[8]