In New Delhi for the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM), which India is set to host today, Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, sought India’s help in his country’s post-war reconstruction efforts.
While speaking with the press on Friday, Ibrahim said he intends to brief the meet’s participants and investors about Sudan’s current political situation and the various investment opportunities that it presents.
“We are going to brief those who are participating in this meeting about the situation in Sudan and the investment opportunities, especially after the war. The reconstruction of Sudan needs quite a lot of work to be done. We are going to have a business forum meeting with investors and ministers in India,” he said.
Sudan’s civil war, waged between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), erupted on April 15, 2023, and plunged the country into chaos. Following the Sudanese Army’s recapture of the capital in early 2025, efforts have begun to clear unexploded ordnance, remove rubble, and restore essential services such as water and electricity.
But, post-war reconstruction is a monumental task that will require restoring basic services, rebuilding destroyed urban centres, and reforming an economy long dominated by military interests. While conflict is still ongoing in many regions there, localised efforts and strategic planning are already underway as of early 2026 for reconstruction.
Also Read: Jaishankar meets Arab League Secretary General ahead of IAFMM
The United Nations estimates that rebuilding Khartoum’s infrastructure alone will cost at least $350 million.
Sudan is therefore actively seeking investments from partner countries such as India, especially in infrastructure and trade, which will be highlighted in Saturday’s IAFMM.
Ibrahim, who recently urged Indian investors to explore opportunities in rebuilding, said focus on key sectors including logistics (Red Sea ports), mining, and agriculture would be most beneficial. Sudan is also strengthening economic ties with India in pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and capacity building.
Plans are underway to establish an India-Sudan Joint Business Council and Business Forum, and local initiatives include restoration of damaged infrastructure, including the National Theatre and football stadiums.
The second IAFMM, convened after 10 years, will focus on expanding and deepening current partnerships. It was last held in Bahrain in 2016.
This dialogue platform is the highest institutional mechanism driving India-Arab cooperation, formalised in March 2002 when India and the League of Arab States signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish it.
Further strengthening this framework, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, and was subsequently revised in 2013 to reflect a revised structural organisation. India is an Observer to the League of Arab States, a pan-Arab body with 22 member states.
Follow us
