Sudan And Yemen Seek Closer Red Sea Maritime Security Coordination

Khartoum, August 1, 2026 - Sudan and Yemen agreed to strengthen security coordination among Red Sea coastal states to protect international shipping lanes after recent attacks on maritime traffic. Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salim discussed the issue by phone with Yemen's newly appointed foreign minister, Afrah Abdulaziz Al-Zouba.

The two ministers called for closer regional coordination to safeguard navigation and support stability in the Red Sea. The talks followed Yemen's Houthi movement declaring a naval blockade on Saudi-linked vessels on July 20 and launching strikes on ships in the waterway.

Sudanese Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yasir Al-Atta also joined military leaders from Yemen and other regional states last week to discuss plans for a Saudi-led coalition focused on Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab security. For Sudan, the diplomacy links national security to the protection of maritime trade routes serving Port Sudan, a critical outlet for imports, humanitarian supplies and commercial flows during the conflict.

TASIS And Somoud Reject Quintet Format As Burhan Builds Rival Track

Khartoum, August 2026 - The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS), which includes the RSF and allied groups, and the Somoud Alliance led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok separately rejected or boycotted the latest Quintet consultations, while Burhan advanced a domestic alternative.

TASIS objected to participant selection and process design but said it remained open to a negotiated settlement. Somoud argued that any credible process must prioritise stopping the war and protecting civilians before political engineering. The Democratic Bloc participated in Quintet talks while rejecting a common platform with TASIS, deepening civilian fragmentation.

Diplomatic reporting alleged that Egypt and Saudi Arabia helped redirect momentum toward an internal Sudanese dialogue rather than a broader international framework that could have diluted Port Sudan's control of the transition. Those claims were not independently confirmed, but both Cairo and Riyadh remain central regional stakeholders backing state institutions and opposing parallel governing structures.