As the final days of Ramadan unfolded beneath Mecca’s shimmering minarets, a striking scene quietly unfolded within the Grand Mosque’s sacred walls. Sudan’s de facto president and military chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, knelt in prayer beside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Cloaked in the solemnity of worship, the moment carried far more than religious symbolism — it marked a pivotal shift in Sudan’s devastating civil war and in the geopolitical chessboard of the region.
Missing from the picture, quite conspicuously, was the United Arab Emirates — once Riyadh’s closest partner in regional strategy, now increasingly on a divergent path, especially in Sudan’s conflict. The absence underscored a rift no longer subtle between the Gulf’s two powerhouses, both vying to shape the post-Arab Spring order but now backing opposing sides in Sudan’s unravelling.
Two years after the country plunged into a civil war that has devoured cities and lives alike, al-Burhan arrived in the kingdom fresh from a rare military victory. His troops had reclaimed key sectors of Khartoum — a capital long lost to chaos, where gunfire often echoed louder than prayer calls. The visit to Saudi Arabia wasn’t just diplomatic. It was a statement: of strength, of alignment, and perhaps of survival.
A Country Torn
Sudan’s descent into war began in April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, or “Hemedti,” exploded into open conflict. What followed has been nothing short of catastrophic.
The numbers alone are harrowing: 150,000 dead, by some estimates. Twelve million people displaced. Atrocities in Darfur that echo the darkest chapters of Sudan’s past. And now, more than half the country staring into the abyss of famine.
In Khartoum, once a symbol of unity between the Blue and White Nile, there’s now only silence and smoke. Neighborhoods lie in ruins. Families search for missing loved ones. The war has moved beyond borders and frontlines — it’s seeped into the daily rhythm of life, fraying the nation’s soul.
The Shifting Gulf Winds
From early on, Saudi Arabia positioned itself as a humanitarian anchor in the storm. The kingdom’s operation to evacuate thousands of foreigners via Port Sudan in 2023 earned international praise. It then co-hosted ceasefire talks in Jeddah with the United States, projecting itself as a responsible mediator invested in Sudan’s stability.
But peacemaking has proven elusive. The Jeddah process collapsed, as did a follow-up humanitarian track in Geneva. Sudan’s war, like so many others, made a mockery of signed declarations and diplomatic niceties.
Then came 2025 — and with it, a more transactional U.S. foreign policy. The return of Donald Trump’s administration slashed funding to critical food aid programs, dismantling what little leverage Washington retained. As USAID kitchens closed and the famine worsened, Riyadh saw an opening.
What followed was a decisive turn. In February, the RSF attempted to formalize a breakaway administration from Nairobi, backed — quietly but evidently — by the UAE. The Gulf’s silence was broken when Saudi Arabia, joined by Qatar and Kuwait, issued an unambiguous rebuke. “Any illegitimate steps outside Sudan’s official institutions,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry declared, “threaten the unity of Sudan.”
It was a diplomatic thunderclap.
A New Chapter — or Just Another Page?
Al-Burhan’s visit, then, was not merely ceremonial. The joint announcement of a new Saudi-Sudanese “coordination council” marks a significant shift from Saudi Arabia’s earlier hands-off posture. The visit also followed a high-level Saudi delegation to Port Sudan, focused not on war but on rebuilding — reconstruction, ports, food corridors. The message is clear: Riyadh is ready to bet on a future Sudan under al-Burhan’s leadership.
But that future remains fraught.
While al-Burhan may have clawed back control of parts of Khartoum, Sudan is still a country in tatters. The RSF remains powerful and deeply entrenched in Darfur and elsewhere. Humanitarian needs are exploding. And regional rivalries — Gulf, African, and Western — continue to play out through Sudanese suffering.
In Mecca, under the soft glow of Ramadan’s twilight, two leaders prayed side by side. But in Sudan, the prayers of millions remain unanswered. Their fasts have broken not with dates and water, but with loss and silence.
