- Sudan-Iran restore diplomatic relations after 8 years
- Sudan’s army leader meets new Iranian ambassador
- Sudan appoints its ambassador to Tehran
Sudan’s de facto leader has received an Iranian ambassador and dispatched his own to Tehran, completing a reconciliation after an eight-year break.
Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with the new Iranian ambassador, Hassan Shah Hosseini, in Port Sudan on Sunday and appointed Abdelaziz Hassan Saleh as the African country’s ambassador to Tehran.
Sudan and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations last October, as the army-aligned administration sought friends during its conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Throughout the 15-month conflict with the RSF, the Sudanese government has remained loyal to the army.
Since Khartoum has been ravaged by fighting, the Red Sea city of Port Sudan has emerged as Sudan’s de facto capital.
According to Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Hussein al-Amin, this marks the start of a new phase in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Sudan severed ties with Iran in 2016 to demonstrate sympathy with Saudi Arabia after the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran was attacked following the murder of a prominent Shia cleric. Several Saudi friends in the region severed ties with Iran at the time.
However, in March 2023, Riyadh and Tehran announced the restoration of relations due to a Chinese-mediated accord.
Iran has since tried to strengthen or reestablish relations with neighbouring Arab countries.
In February, the United States expressed worry about purported arms transfers from Iran to Sudan’s military.
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Since the war in Sudan began in April 2023, several foreign governments have backed rival factions. The country has also grown closer to Russia, which, according to experts, has reconsidered its prior relationship with the RSF, with whom it had ties via the mercenary Wagner Group.
According to US Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello, the Sudanese war has killed tens of thousands of people, with some estimates putting the figure at 150,000.
It has also caused the world’s worst displacement catastrophe, with over 11 million people uprooted, according to the United Nations, and pushed the country to the verge of famine.
