Sudan: Is it exploited by foreign powers?

Sudanese opposition leaders said that its military leaders were exploited by foreign powers, eager to take advantage of the country's natural resources and strategic location.

A power-sharing agreement has recently been struck between the army and opposition groups – but Sudan's political future remains uncertain.

What are the countries involved in Sudan and what do they hope to gain?

Who buys Sudan's resources?

The UAE is Sudan's main export destination. He buys most of the money that pays the country, gold.

Secondly, China imports significant quantities of crude oil.

The Sudanese oil industry once represented a much larger proportion of its economy – but when South Sudan broke out in 2011, most of its oil fields went hand in hand.

Oil accounts for only 1% of the Sudanese economy, compared with just under 20% in 2011.

Saudi Arabia, which buys mainly cattle, is the next major destination for Sudanese products.

With the fall in oil exports, Sudan has sought to strengthen its agricultural sector, notably by granting land leases to foreign powers.

Sudan has agreed to lease millions of acres to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey and China, and is in the process of concluding similar agreements with other countries, including Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Regional rivals vie for contracts

The Sudanese coast, on the Red Sea, is an important shipping route, close to the ongoing war in Yemen, and various countries are fighting for influence.

Most of the country's trade is currently through Port Sudan.

However, a contract worth $ 2.4 billion (£ 1.9 billion) for the development and operation of the port, granted to a Philippine company, was suspended by the Council Transitional Military (TMC), in power, following a strike by workers earlier this year.

And an even bigger deal has been reached to develop another port facility in the city of Suakin, south of Port Sudan.

Last March, Turkey and Qatar signed a $ 4 billion deal to support Sudan in the development of this port.

This is considered both a highly strategic and politically sensitive gesture – to the extent that this could allow Turkey to establish a military presence on the Red Sea.

But Turkey and Qatar are political rivals of increasingly influential donors in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has provided about $ 3 billion in aid to Sudan since the army took power in April, lobbied the government to take action. It cancels the agreement.

"It is becoming clear that the UAE has a considerable influence on the TMC," said Annette Weber, senior researcher at the German Institute of International Affairs and Security.

Sudan is also the beneficiary of major investments in Chinese infrastructure under China's Belts and Roads Initiative to create a global trade route.

Sudanese soldiers active in Yemen

The growing economic and political influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is nowhere more apparent than the military support that the Sudanese army has provided to Yemen.

Sudanese forces are active in Yemen to support the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran.

"Sudan has 16,000 soldiers securing the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen," said Dr. Weber, quoting a senior government official as a source.

These forces were placed under the command of General Mohammed "Hemeti" Hamadan, now a powerful figure in the Sudanese military leadership.

This deployment of troops in Yemen, which began in 2015, was seen as a clear shift in Sudanese foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia and its allies, as well as its close ties with the country. l & # 39; Iran.

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