The return of Sudanese-Iranian cooperation comes under complex circumstances regionally and internationally (Shutterstock)

Khartoum -

Military cooperation between Sudan and Iran returned months after the official resumption of relations between them in October 2023, after 7 years of estrangement, as Tehran provided the Sudanese army with drones.

The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, mediated by China, lifted Khartoum’s embarrassment by resuming its relationship with Tehran, after Sudan took the initiative to sever its relationship with Iran following the storming of the Saudi embassy there in January 2016.

This cooperation was accompanied by the Sudanese army continuing its war with the Rapid Support Forces, and observers believe that this step will raise the concerns of some Gulf states and the United States, in light of Iran’s search for a foothold in the Red Sea, and to penetrate the Horn and the African coast from Sudan.

Natural cooperation

The advisor to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense says that "military cooperation between his country and Iran has not returned to the full extent it was before the severing of relations between the two countries, especially since they did not exchange diplomatic representation nor open embassies."

The advisor - who requested to remain anonymous - reveals to Al Jazeera Net that "the army sought to enhance its capabilities during the past months to confront the armed rebellion of the Rapid Support militia, and purchased weapons and marches through official channels from several countries, including Iran."

The same source explains that "the US sanctions on Sudan, and the siege imposed on the country for more than two decades during the era of deposed President Omar al-Bashir, led to Khartoum moving toward military cooperation with eastern countries. It also entered into partnerships for defense industries, and Iran was among those countries."

The Sudanese official adds, "His country's forces have achieved progress in defense industries in the last two decades, and have begun to export weapons and military equipment to Arab and African countries, and participate in military industry exhibitions in the UAE, South Africa, and elsewhere."

He stresses that "military cooperation between Sudan and Iran is still naturally limited, and is not directed against any other party, and that his country is aware of the security complexities and conditions in the region, the tension in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, and the war in Gaza and its repercussions."

New marches

Platforms close to the Sudanese army have been broadcasting information about the expansion of the use of marches in recent weeks, by simultaneously bombing targets of the Rapid Support Forces, in Khartoum, Al-Jazeera State in the center of the country, West Kordofan, and the Darfur states that it controlled.

The same platforms reported that the new marches used by the army were advanced and highly accurate, and inflicted heavy losses on the Rapid Support Forces, as the army was able to achieve progress in Khartoum and prevent the expansion of the “rebels” in West Kordofan and towards the states of Sennar and Gedaref, which it was targeting after its control of Wad Madani. The capital of Gezira State in mid-December.

Observers and military experts monitored the Sudanese army's use of drones during the recent period, most of which were Chinese, Turkish, and Iranian, and it also used Russian fighters of different models.

In its report, Bloomberg quoted Western officials as saying that Iran had provided the Sudanese army with “Muhajer 6” drones, capable of monitoring and transporting explosives, and stated that “last month satellites captured images of a “Muhajer 6” drone. The Iranian base is located in Wadi Saydna, north of Omdurman, and is under the control of the army.

Three Western officials - who requested that their identities be withheld - said: “Sudan received shipments of the Muhajer 6 Al-Masirah, which is a single-engine aircraft manufactured in Iran, by Al-Quds Aerospace Industries, and carries guided munitions,” which is the same Al-Mhajir 6 Al-Masirah that the United States had accused Iran of supplying. For Russia during the war with Ukraine.

Bloomberg reported in a report that Iran had supplied the Sudanese army with Iranian “Muhajir 6” drones (Al Jazeera)

Tactics or strategy?

Military expert, retired Major General Mazen Ismail, believes that Iranian marches have proven their effectiveness in the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the results of the Sudanese army’s use of them have emerged over the past weeks.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, he said, "Military cooperation with Iran will compensate the Sudanese army for the stocks of weapons and ammunition that it lost in the war that has been going on for about 10 months, as well as the cessation of Sudanese defense industries since the start of the battles in Khartoum."

The military expert believes that the return of Sudanese-Iranian cooperation comes under complex circumstances in the geopolitical space, extending from Iran to Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. He adds that “Sudan’s entry into an alliance with Iran does not serve the national interest at the strategic level, but it is useful tactically, and its fruits have begun to show.” The military field, and the balance was tilted in favor of the army.”

The same expert explains that if Sudanese diplomacy invests well in cooperation with Iran, after adopting a clear national vision, it is possible to develop that relationship, and the continuation of Sudanese forces protecting the southern borders of Saudi Arabia, to attract the Saudi role in a positive way.

On the other hand, security affairs researcher Tariq Abdel Wahab says, “Sudan had good relations with Iran, especially in the military field. In 2012, deposed President Omar al-Bashir visited Tehran, and those ties were documented, and Iranian military ships often docked in Port Sudan on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the researcher added that Iran played a major role in supporting the arms production sector in Sudan, according to what was issued by the Institute for Small Arms Studies in Switzerland, during May 2014, and he explained that “military cooperation between Iran and Sudan witnessed a remarkable development after the accusation of Khartoum Israel sent 4 planes to strike the Yarmouk Military Industries Complex in southern Khartoum, in October 2012, as Israel believes that the factory employs Iranian experts and supplies the Hamas movement in Gaza with weapons smuggled through eastern Sudan.

The same spokesman adds that Tehran views Sudan in a strategic geopolitical manner, based on its interest in gaining a foothold on the coast of the Red Sea, and taking Sudan as an entrance towards the Horn of Africa in the east and the African coast in the west, to enhance its influence in the region, which raises the concerns of some Gulf states and Egypt, in light of American, Russian, Chinese, and Gulf competition over the region.

Source: Al Jazeera