Sudan’s Al-Burhan pushes Saudi maritime deal as parliament remains absent
· The South African
Sudan and Saudi Arabia are moving to advance work on their long-running maritime boundary dispute, even as war continues to devastate Sudan and the country remains without an elected parliament.
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The maritime file dates back decades and involves a resource-rich area of the Red Sea between the two countries.
It has gained fresh attention as Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, oversees renewed efforts to address the country’s maritime boundaries.
The country has been at war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Aljazeera reports that the conflict has caused widespread destruction and displacement and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Sudan’s maritime dispute dates back decades
The two countries signed an agreement in Khartoum in May 1974 covering the joint exploitation of natural resources in a Red Sea common zone.
Under the agreement, Sudan has exclusive sovereign rights over the seabed extending eastwards from its coast to the point where the water reaches an uninterrupted depth of 1 000 metres.
Saudi Arabia has corresponding rights from its coast, while the seabed between the two areas forms a common zone.
The agreement dealt primarily with the exploitation of seabed resources rather than establishing a final maritime boundary.
Saudi Arabia’s official Saudipedia says the exclusive economic zone boundary between the two countries has still not been agreed.
The area includes the Atlantis II Deep, a major seabed deposit containing zinc, copper, silver and gold.
A 2011 study by researchers at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy estimated the possible gross revenue from four metals at between $3.03 billion and $5.29 billion, depending on assumptions about prices, quantities and discount rates.
Sudan’s Al-Burhan pushes new maritime talks
The issue has returned to the spotlight amid closer institutional ties between Khartoum and Riyadh.
On August 17, 2026, Sudan and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement establishing a Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation and Coordination.
The council is intended to provide a framework for cooperation in areas including politics, trade, investment and economic affairs.
On 14 September, al-Burhan chaired a meeting of a Sudanese committee working under the new framework, according to reporting on the latest developments.
The meeting designated the Sea Ports Corporation as the federal body responsible for coordinating civilian and military institutions involved in the maritime file.
It also involved access to historical maps and archival material relating to the Red Sea and Sudan’s maritime boundaries.
A technical committee involving the National Boundary Commission and Sudanese Navy was also proposed to examine the legal framework and prepare technical work relating to maritime delimitation.
The developments follow earlier efforts to revive the issue. Reports said a Sudanese-Saudi committee met in September 2025 to discuss amendments to a draft agreement, while al-Burhan later postponed consideration of the final draft amid consultations involving Egypt.
Questions over Sudan’s constitutional authority
The renewed push comes at a sensitive time for Sudan.
The country does not currently have an elected parliament capable of scrutinising an international maritime treaty through the normal legislative process.
That raises questions about how any future binding agreement would be reviewed and approved.
The issue is particularly significant because a final maritime delimitation agreement could affect Sudan’s sovereign rights, economic interests and access to potentially valuable Red Sea resources for decades.
The United States also questioned the constitutional standing of Sudan’s warring authorities on 22 September.
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said neither the SAF nor the RSF, nor their respective leaders, represented “legitimate, constitutional governance” for Sudan.
Sudan rejected Washington’s position the following day and said the country upheld its national sovereignty.
Why the Red Sea matters
The maritime issue extends beyond the question of where a boundary should be drawn.
The Red Sea is a strategically important shipping route linking the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandab Strait. It is also increasingly important to countries seeking access to ports, natural resources and regional trade routes.
For Sudan, the maritime file therefore has both economic and sovereignty implications.
For now, however, the available evidence points to technical and diplomatic preparations rather than a completed final maritime boundary agreement.
The central question is whether Sudan’s current authorities can ultimately commit the country to a far-reaching maritime arrangement while the war continues and no elected legislature is in place to scrutinise such an agreement.