Saudi Arabia is working to broker a political agreement between Sudanese civilian leaders and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as Riyadh steps up efforts to shape the country’s political future, according to a report by French publication Africa Intelligence.
The report, published on November 10, said Saudi Arabia had assembled a four-member diplomatic and security team tasked with bringing civilian political figures, including members of the Somoud alliance led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, into a potential partnership with Burhan.
The initiative is aimed at establishing a political arrangement involving civilian forces and the SAF government, although disagreements over the military’s role in Sudan’s future continue to complicate negotiations.
The Saudi team is reportedly headed by Prince Musab bin Mohammed Al Farhan, political adviser to Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Other members include Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, a former Saudi ambassador to Britain who currently advises the Foreign Ministry, and Major General Ahmed Al-Dhafir, a senior Saudi intelligence official.
Riyadh expands contacts with civilian leaders
According to Africa Intelligence, Saudi Arabia has hosted a series of meetings with Sudanese civilian politicians since March 2026, including senior figures from the Somoud coalition and other political organisations.
Among those involved in the consultations were former Foreign Minister Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, National Umma Party leader al-Siddiq al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, Federal Alliance executive chairman Babikir Faisal, Sudanese Congress Party leader Omer al-Digair and Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abdel Wahid Mohamed al-Nur.
The report also identified three senior National Umma Party figures who had travelled to Saudi Arabia: retired General Siddiq Mohamed Ismail, assistant party chairman Abdel Halim Teiman and secretary-general Al-Wathiq al-Berair.
Political resistance complicates Saudi initiative
The Saudi initiative reportedly faces resistance from several civilian figures concerned that an agreement with Burhan could strengthen the SAF government’s political position without resolving fundamental disagreements over military rule and Islamist influence.
Africa Intelligence reported that Abdel Wahid al-Nur and Babikir Faisal were among those expressing reservations about a potential political partnership with the army chief.
The publication also indicated that Riyadh’s approach of engaging individual civilian leaders rather than negotiating with unified political blocs had raised concerns within Somoud over the possibility of internal divisions.
The reported efforts come as regional and international mediators continue searching for a settlement to Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 and has devastated the country’s economy, displaced millions and deepened its political fragmentation.
Neither a formal political agreement nor a timetable for the Saudi-led consultations has been announced.
The report also did not establish which civilian organisations would ultimately participate in a proposed arrangement with the SAF government.
