What do we know about the new Saudi-Sudanese Coordination Council?

August 18, 2026 (PEN) Saudi Arabia and Sudan signed a document in Riyadh on Monday establishing the "Saudi-Sudanese Coordination Council" with the aim of raising bilateral relations to a broader and more comprehensive institutional level.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Saudi side by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, and on behalf of the Sudanese side by Foreign Minister and Minister of International Cooperation Mohi El-Din Salem Ahmed Ibrahim, at the Ministry headquarters in Riyadh, in the presence of the Sudanese Ambassador to the Kingdom, Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali Othman, and a number of officials from both countries.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained in a statement via the “X” platform that the new council represents a higher institutional framework for managing and developing relations between the two countries, through a platform that brings together the relevant parties from both sides to work on initiatives and projects with tangible outcomes.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) indicated that the establishment of the council stems from the keenness of the leadership and people of the two countries to raise the level of cooperation and joint coordination.

The founding document identified 10 key areas for the council’s work, including political, economic, investment and trade fields, with the aim of unifying visions, facilitating the implementation of joint programs and projects, converting previous memoranda of understanding into feasible projects, supporting development and stability efforts and promoting mutual interests.

According to the sources, the council seeks to strengthen the official partnership and open new horizons for economic and investment cooperation, reflecting the special nature of Sudanese-Saudi relations and the two countries’ aspiration for a new phase of strategic cooperation based on mutual interests and a shared vision for a more stable and prosperous future.