Sudan cancels deal to establish port with the UAE

Sudanese Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim announced the cancellation of a previous agreement with the UAE to establish the Abu Amama port on the Red Sea coast, against the backdrop of what he called “the continued Emirati support for the Rapid Support Forces.”

Ibrahim confirmed in a press conference held on Sunday in the city of Port Sudan that the Sudanese government had backed down from the $6 billion deal to establish the Abu Amama port with the UAE, according to the Sudanese News Agency SUNA.

The minister said, “After what happened, we will not give the UAE a single centimetre on the Red Sea coast,” accusing Abu Dhabi of providing logistical, political and media support to the RSF.

He noted that the memorandum of understanding signed with the UAE regarding the port is “not binding for Sudan,” according to the Sudan Tribune website.

The Sudanese government signed an agreement with an Emirati alliance that includes Abu Dhabi Ports and Invictus Investment to establish the Abu Amama port in December 2022.

The agreement stipulated that the port would be established 200 kilometres north of Port Sudan, as part of an investment package that includes a free trade zone, a large agricultural project, and a $300 million financial deposit to Sudan’s central bank.

The Emirati side has not commented on Sudan’s cancellation of the agreement. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in the past few months due to accusations made by Khartoum against Abu Dhabi regarding the latter’s continued support for the Rapid Support Forces.

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