Port Sudan emerges as Sudan's digital lifeline amid ongoing conflict

Port Sudan has emerged as a vital digital lifeline for Sudan, as fighting across the country has severely crippled telecommunications infrastructure.

The Red Sea city is now essential for data traffic, government services, and banking operations, providing a crucial connection to the outside world.

Historically known as a gateway for trade and humanitarian aid, Port Sudan has taken on a critical technological role amid the conflict, keeping the nation connected as networks in multiple states are damaged or shut down.

With fiber-optic links disrupted, much of the war-torn country's international data traffic now relies on undersea cable routes that land near Port Sudan, supported by satellite backup systems designed for emergencies.

Government offices, media outlets, aid agencies, and millions of civilians depend on this fragile yet essential flow of information.

Engineers working to maintain the network face increasing challenges due to power shortages, security risks, and limited access to equipment. Despite these obstacles, core connectivity has been preserved.

"We lost all three data transformers, the Tier-4 data center that provided hosting for the state, government, and institutions, and the Abu Haraz satellite station entirely. The damage exceeded 70 million dollars. Despite this, we recovered and resumed operations by restoring the core data center, which is now fully operational and serving government bodies, private institutions, and citizens across Sudan," said Mohammed al-Rayeh al-Toum, deputy director general and chief Executive officer for Operations at Sudani Company.

Established in 2006, Sudani provides both fixed and mobile services (2G, 3G, and 4G+) through its wired and wireless infrastructure, making it the only operator in Sudan to offer these services together.

Technical teams are actively rerouting data traffic and activating satellite links when fiber connections fail, as any prolonged disruption risks cutting off entire regions from communications, banking services, and emergency coordination.

Local economist Mohamed Alnaye emphasized the telecommunications sector's resilience in cushioning the broader economic impact of the war.

"The telecommunications sector has played a crucial role during the war, coordinating with banks despite the destruction of key equipment in Khartoum. Operations temporarily moved to Port Sudan, with new equipment from abroad restoring networks efficiently. This effort eased the economic impact, revitalized banking services, and strengthened both the telecom and banking sectors as the government resumed work in Khartoum," he said.

As the conflict continues, Port Sudan's role is expanding beyond that of a port, becoming the backbone of Sudan's digital survival.

Sudan has been embroiled in an armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 15, 2023.

Port Sudan emerges as Sudan's digital lifeline amid ongoing conflict

Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin, who wrapped up his five-day official visit to China, has praised China's progress in areas such as digital economy and green energy, saying Ireland is willing to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China in emerging sectors while enhancing cooperation on multilateral affairs.

It is Martin's first visit to China since taking office and the first by an Irish prime minister in 14 years.

Speaking during a joint interview with Chinese media outlets in Beijing, Martin spoke positively of the steady development of bilateral relations in recent years, highlighting closer people-to-people exchanges and growing ties in higher education.

"We now have a direct flight between Dublin and China and that's very important in terms of people to people. Our education links are very strong and we have many partnerships between Irish higher education institutions and Chinese higher education institutions and that's important," he said.

Martin said economic and trade ties remain a key pillar underpinning the sound development of bilateral relations.

He recalled that bilateral trade has seen exponential growth since his first visit to China 20 years ago, when he served as minister for enterprise, trade and employment.

Looking ahead, he expressed expectations for expanded cooperation with China in such emerging fields as digital economy and green transition.

"We will be embarking on a major investment in offshore renewables over the next decade. We already are in the planning process. It's a windy island, so we have a lot of wind to harness for energy. So we do see opportunities in AI as well. Ireland is a very strong location for investment, as a member of the European Union, the only English-speaking country now in the Eurozone and in the European Union. And it's a good access point to the European consumer market. We believe there's a greater opportunity for Chinese companies to locate in Ireland," he said.

As Ireland is set to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2026, Martin said Ireland adopts a pragmatic policy towards China within the EU and stays committed to promoting a EU-China relationship framework that effectively manages differences while expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

"What is important is that we continue to dialogue and see can we develop frameworks of agreement on the big picture. The WTO is also very important forum for resolving trade issues. Both Europe and China would acknowledge that industrial resilience, economic security issues are important issues, but that has to be balanced with an open free trade environment. So we are against tariffs. We think tariffs are ultimately damaging to the world economy," he said.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Martin paid an official visit to China from Jan 4 to 8. In addition to Beijing, he also visited Shanghai.

Irish Taoiseach sees broader cooperation with China in emerging sectors