Port Sudan

Port Sudan بور سودان Bar'uut
City
Top: Port Sudan Skyline; Middle: Red Sea University, Port Sudan Harbour; Bottom: Port Sudan Post Office, Port Sudan Old Market
Port Sudan Location in Sudan
Coordinates: [ ⚑ ] : 19°36′07″N 37°12′27″E / 19.60194°N 37.2075°E / 19.60194; 37.2075
Country	Sudan
State	Red Sea
Elevation	6 ft (2 m)
Population  (2025)
• Metro	547,260[1]
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (CAT)

Port Sudan (Arabic: بور سودان, romanized: Būr Sūdān, Beja: Bar'uut) is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade.^[2] The population of Port Sudan was estimated in the 2008 Census of Sudan to be 394,561 people.^[3]

Port Sudan has historically been a centre for commercial activity, particularly in the shipping industry.^[4]

Due to the civil war in the country that started in 2023, the Sudanese government has largely been operating from Port Sudan as a result of intense fighting in the capital city Khartoum from April 2023 to May 2025, leading to it being described as a de facto capital of the country. Port Sudan also has emerged as a refuge for internally displaced persons in Sudan.

Port Sudan was built between 1905 and 1909 by the administration of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to replace Suakin—the historic, coral-choked Arab port.^[5] An oil pipeline was built between the port and Khartoum in 1977.

In 2009, Israel allegedly used naval commandos to attack Iranian arms ships at Port Sudan as part of Operation Birds of Prey.^[6] In 2020, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Navy would begin construction on a base with capacity for 300 personnel and four warships in Port Sudan. The facility would provide Russia with a naval base in the nation for at least 25 years.^[7] The plan was ultimately suspended, though Sudanese leadership has indicated that it is possible for the construction to go ahead in the future.^[8]

In 2016, it was reported that residents of Port Sudan face water scarcity.^[9] Following the October–November 2021 Sudanese coup d'état, the Beja tribal council initiated a weeklong blockade of the city's ports. Following negotiations with military officials, the blockade was lifted.^[10]

During the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Port Sudan has emerged as a leading destination and refuge for internally displaced persons fleeing war in other parts of the country.^[4][11] Internally-displaced refugees in the city reportedly face extreme heat and shortages of food and water.^[12]

By late October 2023, Reuters reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled most of Khartoum, causing the government led by Abdul Fattah el-Burhan to have largely relocated to Port Sudan.^[13] General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, "has threatened to establish a cabinet" in Port Sudan, "with the intention of creating an alternative or second capital." Hemedti, leader of the RSF, in turn, warned that this would lead to him declaring his own rival government based in Khartoum or another city he controlled. Analysts have raised concerns of a lasting split similar to that of Libya during its civil wars.^[14] Port Sudan has been described as becoming a "de facto" capital of Sudan.^[15][16]

Iran and Russia have been trying to negotiate with Sudan to build a naval base in the city.^[17][18]

On 4 May 2025, the RSF launched a drone attack on Port Sudan for the first time since the beginning of the war, targeting the Osman Digna Air Base, "a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities" and causing "limited damage".^[19] A day later, another RSF drone attack occurred targeting fuel depots, leading to a fire. Some Arab nations condemned the actions.^[20]

The city has an oil refinery and handles 90% of the country's international trade.^[5][2] Major exports include oilseed, senna, and hides and skins. Imports include construction materials, heavy machinery, and vehicles.

The city has a modern container port to handle imports and exports.^[5] The port is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region of Trieste with its rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe.^{[21][22][23][24]}

In 2023 a new seaport was proposed about 200km north of Port Sudan at Abu Amama.^[25] A 450km road to the farming hub at Abu Hamad would also be provided. This new seaport is opposite Jeddah which shortens the ferry trip from Jeddah.

The city is home to the Red Sea University, established in 1994.^[26]

Places of worship are predominantly Muslim mosques,Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag The mean temperature year round (the average of all daily highs and nighttime lows) is 28.4 °C (83.1 °F).

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The population consists mainly of Sudanese Arabs, including the native Beja people, with small Asian and European minorities.^[5]

Hay Al-Arab SC founded in 1928, and Hilal Alsahil SC founded in 1937, both play at the Port Sudan Stadium in the football Sudan Premier League. The city's third team is Al-Merreikh Al-Thagher.

• Gawaher (Pop singer)
• Ra'ouf Mus'ad (Playwright)

• Suakin

• Arckell, A. J., UNESCO General History of Africa, History of Darfur 1200-1700 A.D. SNR.
• Michael R. T. Dumper; Bruce E. Stanley, eds. (2008), "Port Sudan", Cities of the Middle East and North Africa, Santa Barbara, Cal.: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 9781576079195, https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC 

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