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Jul 12

How Sudan Became a Saudi-UAE Proxy War

Analysis How Sudan Became a Saudi-UAE Proxy War

Gulf heavyweights view the conflict as an opportunity to cement their hegemonic status in the Middle East.

By Talal Mohammad, a scholar of Middle Eastern studies and an independent consultant in government affairs, geopolitics, and strategic intelligence.

Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum.
Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum.
Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum amid ongoing fighting between Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemeti, on June 7. AFP via Getty Images

Talal Mohammad is a scholar of Middle Eastern studies and an independent consultant in government affairs, geopolitics, and strategic intelligence. From 2019 to 2022, he was an academic visitor at St. Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, where he also earned his doctorate. He is the author of the 2022 book Iranian-Saudi Rivalry Since 1979: In the Words of Kings and Clerics. Twitter: @DrOxbridge

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An armed Sudanese rebel is silhouetted against a blazing fire as he arrives at the abandoned village of Chero Kasi after Janjaweed militiamen set it ablaze.
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