Sudan
North-east African country on the Red Sea's western shore; capital Khartoum, main port Port Sudan.
Sudan, a Red Sea state of some 45 million worn down by civil war, signed on 30 July 2026 as one of 13 founding members of Saudi Arabia's 43-nation maritime Coalition; WHO also counts it among 2025's seven worst Cholera countries.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Timeline for Sudan
Mentioned in: Cholera killed 7,870 in 2025, WHO says
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Pandemics and BiosecurityBackground
Sudan is a large north-east African country of around 45 million people, with Khartoum as its capital and a coastline on the Red Sea's western shore. Port Sudan, in Red Sea State, is the main seaport and handles roughly 90% of the country's international trade. On 30 July 2026 Sudan became one of 13 founding signatories of the 43-nation maritime defence Coalition that Saudi Arabia announced for the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden.
Civil war has hollowed out the state's capacity to protect public health. Fighting damages water systems and pushes people into crowded camps, and WHO's annual report placed Sudan among seven countries that carried about 90% of the 7,870 cholera deaths reported worldwide in 2025. In June 2026 Sudan recorded 56 Cholera deaths, four times Afghanistan's toll on a FAR smaller case count, a sign that patients are not reaching treatment.
Sudan also sits inside the Nile Basin camel belt that animal-health agencies watch for MERS. On 7 August 2026 three global agencies reported fragments of MERS clade B in the region's camels.
Sudan signed up to a naval bloc
Sudan was among 13 states that signed as founding members when Saudi Arabia launched a 43-nation maritime defence Coalition on 30 July 2026. The declared area covers the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb strait and The Gulf of Aden, and no start date was given.
The Coalition's waters include Sudan's own coast, where Port Sudan handles roughly 90% of the country's international trade. Sudan signed in July 2026 while its civil war continued, alongside Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen among the founding states on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shores.