Sudan terminates two memoranda of understanding signed with UAE before war

Sudan is stepping back from economic ties with the United Arab Emirates, with Government sources indicating early this week that Sudan may soon terminate multiple investment agreements with Abu Dhabi.
This move, according to Sudanese officials, is driven by what they see as UAE interference in Sudan’s internal affairs, particularly through alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of committing atrocities against Sudanese civilians.
Officials, both public and anonymous, state that these agreements are primarily non-binding memoranda of understanding signed before the recent conflict. Many of the investments were planned for the strategic Red Sea state in eastern Sudan, close to the fertile regions of al Jazeera and Sennar.
At a recent press conference in Port Sudan, Sudan’s Finance and Planning Minister Jibril Ibrahim announced the cancellation of one of the most significant of these agreements, declaring, “We will not allow the UAE to invest an inch of the territory.” This includes a $6 billion project for building Abu Amama Port on the Red Sea, along with an economic free trade zone and a tourism hub. This project was to be developed by a Sudanese-Emirati consortium led by the Abu Dhabi Ports Company and Invictus Investment, owned by Sudanese businessman Osama Daoud.
Additional agreements, such as constructing a road for transporting agricultural goods to the port, have also been canceled, marking a major shift in Sudan’s economic relations with the UAE.