The Saudi-Sudan Strategic Council: What it means for GCC Imports?

Saudi Arabia and Sudan are taking steps to normalise one of the most impactful, but little-discussed, bilateral ties in the Gulf. Sudan’s Sovereign Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decree in January 2026 to reconstitute the Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation and Coordination with Saudi Arabia, which was first agreed with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2025. Since then, Sudanese authorities have indicated the council’s first meeting will be soon after Eid al-Adha this year (Sudan Tribune).

The council is being proffered in Khartoum as a lifeline to the war-wracked economy, which is short of hard currency. It’s also an intriguing supply-chain narrative for the GCC: Sudan occupies some of the most significant trade corridors in the region for livestock, gold, and agricultural products, and a formal cooperation agreement might change the way,  and amount of, these items reach the markets of the region.

Background: Why Riyadh Is Formalising Ties Now

Saudi Arabia has become more serious about Sudan than merely a peripheral file, due to its civil war, in its fourth year. Riyadh has been spearheading international mediation efforts along with the US, UAE and Egypt under the “Quad” grouping and strengthening bilateral cooperation with Khartoum for reconstruction and trade. A recent trip to Riyadh by the Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister, during which he described the visit as contributing to the establishment of a “sustainable strategic partnership,” seems to have established the groundwork for this partnership, which will be institutionalised through the Strategic Cooperation Council under the direct supervision of both countries’ leaderships (Middle East Online).

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has also confirmed in a separate statement released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) the Kingdom’s efforts to support Sudan’s stability, unity and a political solution to the conflict in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa region (SPA).

The Game of Life

The council will formally launch soon, but there are already some strands of cooperation visible:

• Port and logistics infrastructure: The Sudanese Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has indicated that Saudi companies will be preferred in reconstruction projects, especially the railways and the Abu Amama port project, through the formation of joint technical committees that will accelerate reconstruction work.
• Agriculture investment: Saudi Arabia has already invested approximately $3 billion to develop Sudan’s economy and agriculture, and Saudi-UAE agricultural investment of $400 million, as part of a broader GCC strategy to produce food from arable land in Africa, not commodity markets, is also underway.
• Reconstruction funding and business linkages: An investment dialogue between Sudan and Saudi Arabia took place in Riyadh this year, which centred on pending banking and transfer problems, and Khartoum is believed to have compiled about 100 investment projects to submit to Saudi investors under the guise of “strategic partnerships.

What It Could Mean for GCC Imports

A more institutionalised relationship would have the most direct impact on Sudan’s exports to the GCC region and Saudi Arabia, a small group of which dominates the market:

• Livestock: Saudi Arabia is already one of the biggest markets for live animals, especially sheep, goats and cattle, from Sudan, and the trade increases around the Hajj and Eid al-Adha season when both the demand and supply increase. Reconstruction of transport and port facilities can help clear up backlogs resulting from the war.
• Gold: Gold is an export still valuable on the regional market, but now the UAE imports the bulk of it from Sudan. Some of that traffic could be rerouted, or new formal export routes could be established as a result of a Saudi-brokered stability push, over time.
• Agricultural produce: Sudan is sometimes referred to as the Arab World’s “potential breadbasket”, while the production of sesame, sorghum, and other crops is already inching towards markets in the Gulf. Saudi investment in agricultural projects has the potential to further increase volume and formalise the agricultural supply chain, which is informal or disrupted by war.

The Caveats

None of this will necessarily immediately lead to a gradual rise in trade. Sudan’s exports and foreign trade in general have dropped significantly since 2023, with the conflict having a serious impact on Sudan’s ports, banking sector and transport infrastructure. The council itself has missed the deadline once already; it was originally scheduled to convene in 2025, and has not yet officially met as of mid-2026, and its effectiveness will be contingent on the success of the wider ceasefire and stabilisation process.

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