Russia to Establish Naval Base in Sudan

Russia is planning to establish a naval base in the Red Sea in Sudan to supply its fleet with fuel, according to a draft agreement with Khartoum approved by the Russian Prime Minister.

This preliminary document, according to Sky News reports, provides for the establishment of a "logistical support center" in Sudan, through which "repairs, refueling operations and resting crews" of the Russian Navy can be secured.

This base could receive a maximum of 300 military and civilian employees, as well as four ships, including nuclear-powered vehicles, according to the draft agreement.

The Russian base will be established in the northern suburbs of Port Sudan, according to the geographical coordinates mentioned in this thirty-page detailed document.

The draft agreement also stipulates that Moscow has the right to transport through Sudan's ports and airports "weapons, ammunition and equipment" necessary to operate this naval base.

The text indicates that the agreement will be in effect for a period of 25 years, after an automatic renewal after ten years if neither party has requested its termination in advance.

Until now, the Russian authorities have not announced a possible date for signing this agreement with Khartoum.

In recent years, Moscow, which has embarked on a geopolitical return to Africa, has drawn close to Sudan in the military field but also through projects in the civilian nuclear field.

Since May 2019, the two countries have been linked by a seven-year military cooperation agreement.

In late January 2019, in the midst of a political crisis in Sudan, the Kremlin acknowledged that Russian trainers had been "for some time" alongside Sudanese government forces.