• Saudi Arabia: a reconnaissance helicopter of the (AH-6i) type belonging to the Ministry of the National Guard fell and crashed in the Najran region inside Saudi territory as a result of a technical malfunction, resulting in the death of its air crew consisting of two officers — and a security incident such as this on the southern border is followed with great interest in its developments by the large Sudanese community working in the various regions of the Kingdom. (Source: Saudi Press Agency — SPA, quoting the official spokesman of the Coalition Forces, Major General Turki al-Maliki, via the Oman News Agency) • Saudi Arabia: the Coalition announced at dawn today the interception and destruction of two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group towards Khamis Mushait, following a previous announcement on Saturday of the interception and destruction of 4 drones in the Riyadh, Eastern and Southern regions — an escalation that affects the security of residents, including thousands of Sudanese working in the Kingdom, and air traffic to and from its airports. (Source: Saudi Press Agency — SPA, quoting a statement by the official spokesman of the Coalition Forces) • The Cooperation Council: Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi affirmed at the Council's 168th ministerial meeting in Manama today the full solidarity of the Council's states with Saudi Arabia and their strong condemnation of the Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport and civilian facilities, pointing to some 7,000 attacks with missiles and aircraft that have targeted Gulf facilities since last February, and stressing that Iran's disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is a violation of international law — a unified Gulf position that defines the working and stability environment of Sudanese in the six Council states. (Source: Statements by the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani at the 168th ministerial meeting in Manama) • Bahrain: Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Saturday evening the latest regional developments and efforts aimed at halting the escalation, on the sidelines of Lavrov's visit to Manama to participate in the ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the Cooperation Council and Russia, along with discussing coordination in the Security Council in light of Bahrain's non-permanent membership for the period 2026–2027 — a Gulf diplomatic move followed by Sudanese because of the direct relevance of Security Council decisions to their country's file. (Source: Bahrain News Agency — BNA, via the Kuwait News Agency — KUNA) • Egypt and the Gulf: the Egyptian presidency announced today that Cairo is ready to provide all forms of support necessary for Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability and protect its resources, the safety of its territory and the Islamic holy sites, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi requesting an urgent parliamentary session to authorise the army to support the Kingdom if it requests that — a regional development that concerns Sudan, the direct neighbour of Egypt and Saudi Arabia across the Red Sea. (Source: Reuters, quoting a statement by the Egyptian presidency) • The UAE: at the conclusion of the 2026 annual meetings in Bangkok, the UAE signed an agreement to host the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund for 2029 in Abu Dhabi, and Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohamed bin Hadi al-Husseini said the signing reflects the international community's confidence in the UAE's readiness and its financial system — a Gulf financial standing that is reflected in job opportunities and remittances for Sudanese residing in the UAE. (Source: Emirates News Agency — WAM) • Qatar: the Qatar Stock Exchange index closed its trading today down 176.60 points, equivalent to 2%, to reach 8,633.57 points, with trading of 174.255 million shares worth 320.609 million riyals through 30,400 transactions, and market capitalisation reached 526.410 billion riyals — a decline whose impact is followed by Sudanese working in the finance, services and construction sectors in Qatar. (Source: Qatar News Agency — QNA) • Kuwait: the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dr Sulaiman al-Suwailem, announced today the success of 296 applicants in the written test for religious jobs in mosques (imams, preachers and muezzins), explaining that the tests aim to select qualified competencies — and labour market and job affairs in Kuwait concern the Sudanese community residing there and Sudanese job seekers. (Source: Kuwait News Agency — KUNA) • Strait of Hormuz: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media today that Tehran's offer to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table — and the strait's route determines shipping and energy costs and the prices of goods imported into Sudan and the Gulf states hosting Sudanese labour. (Source: Reuters) • Oil and markets: Gulf markets closed today mixed under pressure from geopolitical tensions; the Saudi index rose 0.8% to 10,190 points, supported by a 2.1% rise in Aramco, while the Qatar index fell 2% to 8,634 points at its lowest close since April 2020, and the Bahrain index fell 0.5% to 1,899 points, Oman 0.3% to 7,656 points and Kuwait 0.2% to 8,871 points, after Brent crude closed on Friday up $3.94 (3.7%) at $109.86 a barrel — a movement that directly affects Gulf economies and the remittances and savings of Sudanese working there. (Source: Reuters) • Sudan and the Gulf: Sudanese newspapers published today highlighted, according to monitoring by the Saudi Press Agency, the written message of the President of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on strengthening relations and supporting peace, and the warning by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim — during the meeting of Arab finance ministers with the President of the World Bank Group in Bangkok yesterday — of the repercussions of developments in the Gulf region on supply chains, transport costs and agricultural production inputs, while the dollar in the parallel market touched the barrier of 10,000 Sudanese pounds — an official Sudanese confirmation that what is happening in the Gulf reaches its impact directly to Sudanese tables and prices. (Source: Saudi Press Agency — SPA, in its monitoring of the interests of Sudanese newspapers)
— Editorial Team
