Port Sudan (Arabic:بور سودان,romanized: Būr Sūdān,Beja:Bar'uut) is a major port city on theRed Sea in easternSudan, and the capital ofRed Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade.[2] The population of Port Sudan was estimated in the 2008 Census of Sudan to be 394,561 people.[3]
Port Sudan has historically been a centre for commercial activity, particularly in the shipping industry.[4]
From April 2023 to January 2026, the Sudanese government largely operated from Port Sudan as a result ofintense fighting in the capital cityKhartoum in theongoing civil war,[5] leading to it being described as ade facto capital of the country. Port Sudan also emerged as a refuge forinternally displaced persons in Sudan.
Port Sudan was built between 1905 and 1909 by the administration ofAnglo-Egyptian Sudan to replaceSuakin—the historic, coral-choked Arab port.[6] Anoil pipeline was built between the port andKhartoum in 1977.
In 2009, Israel allegedly used naval commandos to attack Iranian arms ships at Port Sudan as part ofOperation Birds of Prey.[7] In 2020, Russian presidentVladimir Putin announced that theRussian Navy would begin construction on a base with capacity for 300 personnel and four warships in Port Sudan. The facility would provide Russia with a naval base in the nation for at least 25 years.[8] The plan was ultimately suspended, though Sudanese leadership has indicated that it is possible for the construction to go ahead in the future.[9]
In 2016, it was reported that residents of Port Sudan facewater scarcity.[10] Following theOctober–November 2021 Sudanese coup d'état, theBeja tribal council initiated a weeklong blockade of the city's ports. Following negotiations with military officials, the blockade was lifted.[11]
By late October 2023,Reuters reported that theRapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled most ofKhartoum, causing the government led by Abdul Fattah el-Burhan to have largely relocated to Port Sudan.[14] General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, "has threatened to establish a cabinet" in Port Sudan, "with the intention of creating an alternative or second capital."Hemedti, leader of the RSF, in turn, warned that this would lead to him declaring his own rival government based in Khartoum or another city he controlled. Analysts have raised concerns of a lasting split similar to that ofLibya during its civil wars.[15] Port Sudan has been described as becoming a "de facto" capital of Sudan.[16][17]
Iran and Russia have been trying to negotiate with Sudan to build a naval base in the city.[18][19]
On 4 May 2025, the RSF launched a drone attack on Port Sudan for the first time since the beginning of the war, targeting the Osman Digna Air Base, "a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities" and causing "limited damage".[20] A day later, another RSF drone attack occurred targeting fuel depots, leading to a fire. SomeArab nations condemned the actions.[21]
The city has an oil refinery and handles 90% of the country's international trade.[6][2] Major exports includeoilseed,senna, and hides and skins. Imports include construction materials, heavy machinery, and vehicles.
In 2023 a new seaport was proposed about 200 kilometres or 120 miles north of Port Sudan atAbu Amama.[26] A 450-kilometre or 280-mile road to the farming hub atAbu Hamad would also be provided. This new seaport would be oppositeJeddah and thus shorten the ferry trip.
Port Sudan has ahot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) with extremely hot summers and moderately hot winters, requiring the acquisition of fresh water fromWadi Arba'at in theRed Sea Hills and from salt-evaporating pans. Temperatures can easily exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in winter and 45 °C (113 °F) in summer. Over 90% of the annual rainfall falls between October and January, mostly in November, with the wettest month on record being November 1947 with 182 millimetres (7.2 in), whilst the wettest year was from July 1923 to June 1924 with 231 millimetres (9.1 in). Average annual rainfall is 76 millimetres (3.0 in), and no rainfall occurred between January 1983 and June 1984.[29] The mean temperature year round (the average of all daily highs and nighttime lows) is 28.4 °C (83.1 °F).
Climate data for Port Sudan, Sudan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1906–present)
^Foy, Henry; Schipani, Andres (16 November 2020)."Russia to build naval base in Sudan".The Financial Times.Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved20 November 2020.Russia will build a naval base on Sudan's Red Sea coast, its first in Africa, as the Kremlin seeks to expand its global military footprint and cement its burgeoning trade and defence ties with the continent. The Russian navy has been directed to proceed with plans to construct a base for 300 personnel and space for up to four warships, including nuclear-powered vessels, according to an order signed by president Vladimir Putin on Monday.
