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Sudan

August 21, 2026

Khartoum 7:08 pm

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Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese officials held parallel talks in Riyadh and Ankara as Saudi Arabia and Turkey deepen security cooperation around the Red Sea and fighting intensifies in Sudan.

View of some wreckage after the Rapid Support Forces targeted several civilian facilities in Al-Rahad Abu Dakna, one of the largest cities in North Kordofan, on the national highway linking Kosti and el-Obeid, July 25, 2026.

Analysis

RSF turns to drones, new fronts as Sudan battlefield pressure grows

A wave of RSF drone attacks reflects the group fighting back, but it also points to limited supply lines and difficulty mounting ground offensives beyond its territorial strongholds.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Ebrahim HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Sudan’s RSF attacks Khartoum, seizes border town: What to know

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have escalated attacks after suffering setbacks more than three years into the civil war.

Latest News

Analysis

Amid realignment with Egypt, Turkey steps up support for Sudan’s Burhan

Sudan's de facto leader and armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets supporters in Port Sudan, Dec. 29, 2024.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

China expands Sudan footprint through ports, debt relief, mining

BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 14: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shake hands with Omar Seddik, Sudan's newly appointed foreign minister before their meeting during the China-CELAC Forum at Diaoyutai State Guest House on May 14, 2025 in Beijing, China. The summit includes China's key Latin American trade partners, and comes as Beijing and Washington work on defusing a trade war. (Photo by Florence Lo - Pool/Getty Images)

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Rebecca Bradshaw

This picture taken on March 28, 2023 shows a vendor selling dates in the area of Multaqa in Sudan's Northern State, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. - Muslims follow the tradition set by the prophet Mohammed whom believers say used to break his fast by eating dates and drinking goat's milk during the fasting month. The dawn-to-dusk fast is conceived as a spiritual struggle against the seduction of earthly pleasures, but the evening iftar festive meals traditionally bring families together du

Analysis

Conflict in Sudan, GCC's food basket, rattles Gulf investments

In addition to its natural resources and agricultural output, Sudan's geographic location also makes it critical to Gulf security.

By Salim A. Essaid

The Saudi-flagged ferry passenger ship Amanah carrying evacuated civilians fleeing violence in Sudan.

Fear and confusion in Sudan as US citizens scramble to leave

As Sudan’s conflict stretches into its second week, Americans rushing to flee the African country are looking to the US government for help.

Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Sudan: Ex-regime members flee prison as another truce is disrupted

Several cease-fires have failed to stop the bloodshed in Sudan, with both the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces accusing the other of violating the most recent truce.

A flight specialist walks towards an MH-53E Sea Dragon on the deck of the Lewis B. Puller carrier during a joint demining drill between the US, British and French Navy in the Arabian Gulf on April 15, 2019. - The US, French and British navies have launched anti-mine exercises off Bahrain in support of the free movement of trade in Gulf waters, a military spokeswoman said Monday. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo credit should read GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Second US warship arrives off Port Sudan as pressure builds to evacuate citizens

Despite similar efforts undertaken by allies, the Biden administration has yet to order the US military to help evacuate American civilians seeking to flee Sudan.

A picture shows a view of the SEA EAGLE, a vessel that reportedly left Ukraine with a cargo of wheat, anchored in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, on Sept. 9, 2022.

What's at stake for China in Sudan as fighting drags on?

China’s economic interests, deep-rooted diplomatic relations with Khartoum, leaves Beijing worried about instability in Sudan and the Horn of Africa.

A picture taken on October 7, 2017 shows a view of the exterior of the US embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. / AFP PHOTO / ASHRAF SHAZLY (Photo credit should read ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images)

US says Sudan diplomacy ‘degraded’ but continues after pullout

With the US Embassy in Khartoum indefinitely closed, the Biden administration is exploring whether to base US diplomats out of Port Sudan.

Workers put final touches on the "PMC Wagner Centre", associated with businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC (private military company) mercenary group, ahead of its opening in Saint Petersburg on October 31, 2022. - The centre offers free of charge spaces for inventors, project developers, IT specialists, experimental manufacturers and start-ups aimed at improving Russias defensive capacity, including information-wise. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP) (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Get

Analysis

France alarmed over Wagner’s role in Sudan as Russia expands in Africa

Following instances of instability in Mali and Burkina Faso that saw Russia's influence rise in Africa, France is closely working with Egypt to reach a cease-fire and avoid similar scenario in Sudan.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16, 2023, as fighting in Sudan raged for a second week in battles between rival generals. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

US evacuates embassy in Sudan's capital Khartoum

The Biden administration doesn't see an evacuation effort for the estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan as possible in the coming days, but Pentagon and State Department officials said they are exploring options to make the overland route out of the country more viable.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with Sudan’s paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Hemedti in Khartoum, Sudan in February 2023.

Meet Sudan's web of warlords, foreign backers and their tangled alignments

A look at the various players in the fighting that has exploded in Sudan paints a much richer picture than what some call a proxy war.

Sudan Japan

White House: US citizens in Sudan should 'make their own arrangements'

As of Friday, no decision had been made on whether to withdraw the American diplomats stationed in Sudan.

Sudan refugees

Can diplomacy end the fighting in Sudan?

Even if the country is too big to fail, observers see challenges in restoring peace before the unrest spreads to neighboring countries.

Smoke rises behind buildings in Khartoum on April 19, 2023, as fighting between the army and paramilitaries raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed.

Specter of prolonged conflict haunts Sudan as warring generals dig in

US intelligence suggests Sudan's rival generals have no diplomatic off-ramp as the country slides into what is likely to become a prolonged civil war.