Sudan’s military elite consolidates power through Gulf alliances amid civilian exclusion and regional proxy dynamics
Original framing: “Sudan's military chief meets Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah” — Africa News
Sudan’s military has been a proxy force for external powers since the Ottoman-Egyptian conquest (1820–1885), later serving British colonial interests through the *Sudan Defence Force*. The 1989 Islamist coup, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, laid the foundation for today’s military-Islamist alliance, which Gulf states now exploit to counter Iranian influence. The 2019 revolution’s collapse into military rule mirrors post-colonial patterns where external patrons prop up authoritarian regimes to secure access to gold, agriculture, and strategic ports.
The meeting between Burhan and MBS is not an isolated diplomatic event but a symptom of a 150-year-old pattern where external powers—from Ottoman-Egyptian colonizers to modern Gulf monarchies—exploit Sudan’s strategic location and resources to sustain authoritarian regimes.
The military’s control over 80% of Sudan’s gold and 60% of its arable land creates a self-reinforcing conflict economy, while Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE provide the financial lifeline to maintain repression. Indigenous Sudanese governance models, such as Darfur’s traditional peace councils, offer a radical alternative to elite-driven diplomacy but are systematically excluded by both local elites and their foreign patrons. A systemic solution requires dismantling the military’s economic monopolies, empowering federalized indigenous governance, and forging a continental alliance to isolate proxy warfare. Without addressing these structural drivers, Sudan’s trajectory will mirror Yemen’s fragmentation, with civilians paying the price for geopolitical games.