Russia wants a military base in Sudan, but plans may be delayed by Khartoum’s rapprochement with the United States



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Just before Russia’s plans to establish a base were announced, there was a breakthrough in Sudan-US relations. In late October, the Donald Trump administration removed Sudan from the list of countries that support terrorism, DW writes.

Photo by Scanpix / Donald Short

Photo by Scanpix / Donald Short

Sudan has been there since the 1990s, in part because it protected the leader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.

This fall, Sudan took two steps toward reconciliation with Washington: it paid 335 million. dollars in compensation for the victims of the 1998 terrorist attacks in Kenya and Tanzania and their relatives in the United States. Furthermore, Sudan has normalized relations with Israel through the White House.

Annette Weber of the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP) in Berlin says that in such circumstances, Sudan’s plans to sign an agreement with Russia may cause discontent with the United States.

“In recent weeks, the United States has been Sudan’s most important partner in normalizing relations, and a lot of effort has been put into this. Sudan’s economy is highly dependent on deregulation,” Weber told DW .

„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Joe Bidenas

„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Joe Bidenas

Sudan may have decided to await the removal of the blacklist and the reaction of President-elect Joe Biden. So far, Washington is silent.

If Moscow and Khartoum sign the document, Russia will already have a second point in the region for the flotilla after the port of Tartu in Syria. Russia will have the right to deploy up to 300 soldiers to the base in Sudan, which will be able to serve up to four ships at a time, including those with nuclear equipment, writes Deutsche Welle.

Russia hopes to use Sudanese airspace for its missions, and in return will provide free air defense systems to protect the military base in Port Sudan. The agreement would have a duration of 25 years with the possibility of renewal.

Russia’s key to Africa

In 2017, Putin hosted the autocratic Oman al-Bashir, now President of Sudan, in Sochi. He then described Sudan as “Russia’s key to Africa” ​​and proposed building a base in the Red Sea. However, he did not do so because he was ousted in 2019.

AFP / Scanpix Photo / Protest in Sudan in 2019

AFP / Scanpix Photo / Protest in Sudan in 2019

According to analyst Kholood Khair from Sudan, after a visit to Sochi in 2017, O. al Bashir decided that Russia was his friend. At that time, information appeared in the media about Russian companies engaged in gold mining in Sudan, as well as employees of the private Russian military company Wagner in Sudan.

Rumors circulated that Russian special services had helped quell the protests at the beginning of the revolution, Khair told DW.

Moscow confirmed that its military experts were in Sudan, but denied their involvement in cracking down on the protests.

Following the overthrow of O. al-Bashir, Sudan is led by a Sovereign Council of civilians and military. According to Khair, the army has stronger positions in it, so Russia has managed to maintain ties in Sudan.

Scanpix / AP Photo / Omar al-Bashir and Vladimir Putin

Scanpix / AP Photo / Omar al-Bashir and Vladimir Putin

Khair claims that Russian military and private structures protect gold mines in the north of the country, linked to the vice president of the Sovereign Council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Why Russia Sudan?

According to experts, Sudan follows a multi-vector policy in its rapprochement with Russia. As the Red Sea grows in importance as a transportation artery and becomes a geopolitical hot spot, Russia is trying to get what other countries have.

The United States, France, Japan, Italy, and even China have military bases in Djibouti, the Red Sea. Russia also wanted a base in Djibouti, but did not.

Russian commentator Alexander Golc DW stated that “the only more or less understandable objective (in Russian) is to participate in the extraction of mineral resources.” And qualifies as “strange” the involvement of the Navy in the matter.

According to Golco, Russia can try to demonstrate its important power, which the expert calls “the most important element of foreign policy.” According to the analyst, Moscow may seek the possibility of interrupting transport communications in the event of conflict with the West.



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