Sudan hands over Suakin to Turkey temporarily

CAIRO – 26 September 2017: Sudan agreed to hand over Suakin to Turkey to reconstruct the town for an undetermined period of time.

Addressing a Sudanese-Turkish economic forum in Khartoum on Monday, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that Turkey asked for Suakin for a period of time to rebuild it, and the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir agreed.

Turkish pilgrims who want to perform Umrah (an Islamic ritual) will go to Suakin, from where they will travel to Saudi Arabia, Erdogan added.

Turkish and Sudanese businessmen signed nine agreements to carry out agricultural and industrial projects within the framework of the forum. The projects are worth about $650 million. Bashir said he is keen to boost investment with Turkey to reach $10 billion.

Suakin is a port city in Northeast Sudan on the Red Sea. The port was conquered by Turkish (Ottoman) sultan Selim I in 1517. Late Khedive of Egypt and Sudan Ismail Pasha received Suakin from the Ottomans in 1865.