Sudan offers Russia Red Sea economic zone

Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, proposed in Moscow on Friday the creation of a free economic zone on the Red Sea coast and offered Russian investors opportunities in gold, copper and other mineral resources, according to Radio Tamazuj. He was speaking during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, also proposed Russian participation in developing Sudan's railway network, notably for a project to extend the line between Port Sudan and Chad. The economic zone could host Russian fuel and wheat storage facilities intended to meet demand in Sudan and other African countries.

The Sudanese president said his government controlled the country's mineral resources and was ready to offer copper, gold and other metal deposits for Russian investment. Vladimir Putin, for his part, said bilateral trade had more than doubled in 2025, before rising by 25% between January and August 2026.

The Russian president also announced that Moscow had this year granted 100 state-funded university places to Sudanese students, a number expected to reach 140 in 2027. He said Sudan was among Russia's ten leading trading partners in Africa and said he was following the consequences of a conflict that had lasted more than three years and had resulted in more than 13 million refugees and internally displaced people, according to Russian estimates.

The proposal came after Abdel Fattah al-Burhan took part in the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, announced on 27 October. The talks with Vladimir Putin extend discussions held during that visit on strengthening cooperation between Khartoum and Moscow.