Final agreement reached over Red Sea naval base, says Sudan

Sudan has said a final deal has been agreed with Russia to establish a naval base on the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast, saying there were “no obstacles” to it.

An agreement was discussed under former President Omar al-Bashir, but the military government that overthrew him had later said the matter was under review.

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said on Wednesday a deal had been signed and they were in “complete agreement” with Russia over the establishment of the port. He said what remained was only the ratification of the deal.

The US, China and France already have a naval presence in the seas off the Horn of Africa – a key strategic and trading route.

“Sudan and Russia have reached an understanding on the agreement regarding the Russian naval base,” Youssif told a press briefing on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

“The matter is very simple… We have agreed on everything,” he said.

No further details were provided and Lavrov did not comment on the matter.

The deal was discussed under Bashir’s rule in 2019 and initially signed in November 2020, soon after the military takeover, but its fate had been unclear since war broke out in 2023.

The ongoing civil war, in which thousands have been killed, began after the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) became involved in a vicious power struggle.

Moscow has for years sought to establish a base near Port Sudan.

The port agreement, which was to last for 25 years, had been for Russia to establish a naval logistics hub, with warships including nuclear-powered vessels, and up to 300 personnel.

The Red Sea provides a strategic route that is vital to global commerce as well as a defence and geopolitical hotspot.

Russian interests in Port Sudan are said to have grown amid fears of losing its military assets in Syria. The new government in Syria last month terminated a treaty granting Russia a long-term lease for a port where Russia has had its only foreign naval base.

In recent months, Russian officials have reportedly visited Port Sudan – the de facto capital of Sudan during the war – and has sought to cultivate ties with both warring sides in the civil war.

Russia has also been expanding its influence in other African countries, including signing military co-operation agreements and displacing traditional Western allies.

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