TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is exploring cooperation in food resilience with Sudan, after a meeting between Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and his Sudanese counterpart, Lt. Gen. Hassan Daoud Kabroun Kayan.
The information was conveyed by the Defense Ministry's head of defense public relations and information bureau, Rico Ricardo Sirait, after the meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
"One of the notable agendas was the discussion of food security cooperation opportunities," said Rico, adding that Sudan outlined its potential for joint exploration, including in its extensive and fertile agricultural land and a sizable livestock sector.
According to Rico, the offer represents a lucrative opportunity for both countries. "For Indonesia, this is worth exploring further, particularly with the Ministry of Agriculture," he said.
In addition to food resilience, Indonesia and Sudan discussed human resource capacity building, education and training, personnel and cadet exchanges, and developing cooperation between defense educational institutions.
Sudan also expressed its wish to reopen opportunities for its personnel to study in Indonesia, including through government support.
Both countries also see the potential for broader economic and cooperative ties. Sudan cited its strategic location and proximity to various African countries as opportunities to expand Indonesia's ties with the region.
Rico stated that all cooperation opportunities will be discussed and further studied through relevant mechanisms and ministries/institutions, including the possibility of formalizing them in the form of operational defense cooperation arrangements.
"In the defense sector, Sudan also submitted a proposal for cooperation, and Indonesia welcomed this," he said.
He emphasized that the implementation of the cooperation will be carried out in stages and in a measured manner. Currently, Indonesia and Sudan do not have a formal bilateral defense cooperation document and are still in the drafting process.
"This is still being drafted, so the institutional aspects and framework for cooperation will be discussed further," he said.
Meanwhile, Rico stated that Indonesia continues to monitor developments in security and the humanitarian situation in Sudan and hopes that peace, security, and stability will soon be achieved.
According to him, the safety and welfare of the Sudanese people are also a concern for Indonesia, which has demonstrated its concern through various humanitarian aid programs.
He added that the meeting's results will be followed up at the technical level through working groups to map out concrete cooperation opportunities and implement them in accordance with the national interests of both countries.
Read: Sudan: US Proposes Expanding UN Arms Embargo
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