Sudan - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Sudan cover image

Sudan

August 8, 2026

Khartoum 11:52 am

39°C

Sudan's de facto leader and armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets supporters in Port Sudan, Dec. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Amid realignment with Egypt, Turkey steps up support for Sudan’s Burhan

Turkey has been intensifying engagement with the Sudanese army leader as Red Sea security concerns grow and to protect its interests in the broader Africa region.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 14: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shake hands with Omar Seddik, Sudan's newly appointed foreign minister before their meeting during the China-CELAC Forum at Diaoyutai State Guest House on May 14, 2025 in Beijing, China. The summit includes China's key Latin American trade partners, and comes as Beijing and Washington work on defusing a trade war. (Photo by Florence Lo - Pool/Getty Images)

Explainer

China expands Sudan footprint through ports, debt relief, mining

Reports have emerged of a potential $300 million copper mining deal between the Sudanese government and a Chinese company.

Latest News

Sudan, China ink memorandum to develop seaports: What to know

A general view shows docked ships at the harbor of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan, on April 27, 2021.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Rebecca Bradshaw

South Sudan's Vice President James Wani Igga (L), Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir attend a meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on March 23, 2015 to sign the agreement of principles on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance dam project. Egypt agreed to a preliminary deal with Ethiopia on a new dam project that Cairo feared would hamper the flow of the Nile, the river on which it depends. AFP PHOTO / ASHRAF SHAZLY (Photo credit should read ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP

Egypt, Sudan kick off another round of Nile dam talks

A new round of meetings between the Nile Basin countries has resumed as Sudan and Egypt try to unite on controlling damage from the Ethiopian dam.

Pope Francis waves at faithfuls from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St.Peter's square during his Angelus prayer on August 15, 2020 at the Vatican. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis urges Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan to resume Nile dam talks

The pope urged the three Nile states to "continue on the path of dialogue."

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 22, 2019 boats are pictured along the riverbank and off the water of the Nile river delta's Damietta branch near the estuary into the Mediterranean sea, in the town of Ezbel al-Borg in Egypt's northern Governorate of Damietta, some 265 kilometres north of the Egyptian capital. - The Nile, Egypt's lifeline since Pharaonic days, faces massive strain from pollution, over-use and climate change -- and now the threat of a colossal dam being built far upstream in Ethiop

Addis Ababa rejoices over GERD progress as talks drag on

Ethiopia is celebrating its progress on filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, no experts are expressing hope for a binding agreement to emerge from the latest round of tripartite talks.

A photo taken on March 31, 2015 shows the Grand Renaissance Dam under construction near the Sudanese-Ethiopia border. Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile in May 2013 to build the 6,000 megawatt dam, which will be Africa's largest when completed in 2017. The leaders of Egypt and Ethiopia promised on March 24 to boost cooperation on the Nile river and turn a page on a long-running row over Addis Ababa's controversial dam project. Egypt, heavily reliant for millennia on the Nile for agriculture and drinking

Panic downriver as Ethiopia's mega dam hits first-year target

Ethiopia's controversial dam on the Nile River has reportedly already met its first-year filling target despite the ongoing disagreements with Egypt and Sudan over its impacts on countries further down the Nile.

Kafule Yigzaw (L) check iron bars at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 145-metre-high, 1.8-kilometre-long concrete colossus is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa.
Across Ethiopia, poor farmers and rich businessmen alike eagerly await the more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity officials say it will ultimately provide.
Yet as thousands of workers toil day and night to finish the project, Ethiop

Is diplomacy running out on Egypt-Ethiopia dispute over Nile dam?

The African Union, the UN Security Council and the Trump administration may be last best bets to stave off an Egypt-Ethiopia war.

Workers walk along the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 145-metre-high, 1.8-kilometre-long concrete colossus is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa.
Across Ethiopia, poor farmers and rich businessmen alike eagerly await the more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity officials say it will ultimately provide.
Yet as thousands of workers toil day and night to finish the project, Ethiopian negotiators re

Egypt accuses Ethiopia of stonewalling on Nile dam

Egypt has accused Ethiopia of resisting making any of the concessions needed to reach an agreement on Addis Ababa's controversial dam on the Blue Nile.

A general view of the Saddle Dam, part of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopia, near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 145-metre-high, 1.8-kilometre-long concrete colossus is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa.
Across Ethiopia, poor farmers and rich businessmen alike eagerly await the more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity officials say it will ultimately provide.
Yet as thousands of workers toil day and night to finish the

Anger flares as Ethiopia announces, denies Nile dam filling has started

Ethiopia has denied reports that the filling of its controversial Nile mega dam has begun.

(FILES) This file photo taken on December 26, 2019 shows a general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia. - The Nile, Egypt's lifeline since Pharaonic days, faces massive strain from pollution, over-use and climate change -- and now the threat of a colossal dam being built far upstream in Ethiopia. When its London-sized reservoir starts to fill this summer, Egypt fears the mega-project will spell an existential threat to its teemin

Eritrea weighs role in Egypt-Ethiopia dispute over Nile dam

Eritrea’s president visited Cairo against the backdrop of the faltering talks on the Nile dam dispute, raising questions about Eritrea’s role in helping reach an agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

A general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 145-metre-high, 1.8-kilometre-long concrete colossus is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa.
Across Ethiopia, poor farmers and rich businessmen alike eagerly await the more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity officials say it will ultimately provide.
Yet as thousands of workers toil day and night to fin

Conflicting reports emerge on Ethiopia filling Nile dam sans agreement with Egypt, Sudan

The latest talks between the three countries ended yesterday with no deal, though Egypt and Sudan have made it clear they are strongly opposed to the unilateral filling of the GERD without an agreement.

Khartoum(airport)-HSSS-KRT.jpg

Sudan reopens airport to flights from Egypt, UAE, Turkey

The reopening follows the easing of virus-related restrictions and a modest decline in daily COVID-19 cases.

Tensions escalate between Egypt, Ethiopia with no end in sight of Nile dam dispute

Ethiopia has recently accused Egypt of unilaterally using Nile River waters via a project approved in 1995; Cairo says upstream countries are not affected and that it has all the rights to use the Nile waters.

Sudan's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Mohamed takes part in a video meeting at the ministry in Khartoum on June 9, 2020, over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi strongly rebuked Ethiopia, accusing Addis Ababa of stalling negotiations over a mega-dam being built on the Nile and moving ahead with plans to start filling the reservoir before reaching a deal. The agreement signed between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan paved the way for diplomatic talks aft

Can Sudan change course of Nile dam talks?

After the tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan reached a dead end, Egypt and Sudan turned to the UN Security Council to resolve the crisis.