UAE denies striking deal about new port on the Red Sea in Sudan

June 21, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The Abu Dhabi Ports Company dismissed a report about an agreement sealed with the Sudanese government to build a new port on the Sudanese Red Sea coast.

A Sudanese businessman Osama Daoud Abdellatif told Reuters on Monday that he and the AD Ports would build a new Red Sea port located about 200 km north of Port Sudan.

However, the Dhabi-based company denied signing any “agreements in relation to a joint project to build a port in Sudan as suggested in the published report”.

The group further said there are preliminary discussions taking place with the Sudanese authorities but did not elaborate on which project.

Last year, the UAE proposed a $10 billion investment package in Sudan including a new port on the Red Sea and a big agriculture project in the Al-Fashaga area.

The deal was proposed as part of the UAE’s efforts to settle the border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia.

However, the civilian government declined the offer in a written response in April 2021. Also, the Head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan travelled to Abu Dhabi on May 10, 2021, to confirm the rejection.

At the time, Khartoum focused on the agricultural project on the border with Ethiopia without mentioning the new port project.

(ST)