AEI's Critical Threats Africa File published on 16 January 2026 an article titled "Sudan" by Michael DeAngelo.
Increasing Saudi-UAE rivalry in Yemen may also be playing out in Sudan where the UAE has backed militarily the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Saudi Arabia may now finance Pakistani weapons for the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). The SAF deal with Pakistan gives Khartoum another reason to continue to slow roll a Russian naval base on Sudan's Red Sea coast as it has less need for similar military assistance promised by Moscow.
