A former Sudanese foreign minister said on Wednesday that SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s expected visit to Russia is likely to trigger concern in Washington and several European capitals, as Khartoum and Moscow deepen economic and technical ties despite Sudan’s war.
The comments came as officials in Moscow concluded the technical committee meetings of the eighth session of the Sudan–Russia joint ministerial commission, attended by Sudanese representatives from finance, infrastructure, transport, higher education, energy and the central bank, alongside Russian counterparts.
Russia said bilateral trade has risen 92% recently, citing momentum in economic relations. The two sides signed a protocol on economic and trade cooperation and memoranda of understanding in transport, infrastructure and banking, and Moscow pledged to facilitate public and private investment in Sudan in the post-war phase.
Former foreign minister Ali Yousif told Radio Dabanga the meetings had been prepared during a Sudanese visit to Moscow in April and mark “a positive step” in ties at a time of intense domestic conflict. He said the agenda spans energy, oil, mining, transport and infrastructure, with an emphasis on opening Sudanese investment to Russian firms’ capital and expertise. Sudan was led by its minerals minister at the talks; Russia by its minister for technical and economic cooperation.
Yousif argued the timing signals Russian political support for Sudan’s SAF. He said the SAF holds the battlefield initiative and has continued receiving modern weapons, particularly anti-drone systems, as it battles the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
He said cooperation priorities include developing Port Sudan and linking it with Russian and regional ports such as in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, alongside agricultural projects, while noting that large-scale Russian investment would depend on ending the war and stabilising the country.
Yousif warned that tightening ties with Moscow could raise alarm among Red Sea neighbors aligned with the United States and Europe, and said Washington and some European governments would view Burhan’s planned trip with “heightened sensitivity” given the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
On Western sanctions, Yousif said measures imposed on Sudanese entities and leaders required review and risked pushing Sudan to take counter-steps. He called for more consultations to avert punitive actions that complicate state-to-state ties.
