Postponing the establishment of the Russian military base in the Sudan

The Ukrainian website Militarnyi, which specializes in security and defence issues, published a report on the military base that the Sudan was supposed to grant Moscow for construction on the Red Sea following former President Omar al-Bashir’s famous visit to Russia at the end of his reign.

The site reported that the establishment of the Russian military base in the Sudan had been postponed indefinitely because of the country’s political crisis.

The site was based on a declaration by the Russian Ambassador to the Sudan, Andrei Chernofol, in which he attributed the postponement to: “Due to the dissolution of Parliament, the Sudanese side has not yet been able to complete the necessary internal ratification procedures.”

According to the website, the establishment of al-Qa ‘idah had been scheduled to begin for more than four years, but the Sudanese Government’s inability to ratify its Convention was the latest project.

Chernofol stated that plans to establish Russian military infrastructure on the shores of the African continent in the port of Suakin date back to 2017.

According to the agreements concluded in 2019, Sudan was supposed to provide Russia with an area for the deployment of 300 Russian military personnel, 4 ships and an unlimited number of ships in the region for 25 years in exchange for quantities of weapons.

The future facility was supposed to serve as a logistical base for the Russian Navy, allowing for the deployment of large vessels and nuclear submarines, as indicated in the report.

The agreement also failed several times. In 2021, Sudan’s Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Sharif Abdullah, declared it impossible to ratify such an agreement.

In 2023, the issue seemed to have moved forward, but in April of the same year the Sudan witnessed events that led to an international crisis and indefinitely postponed the Treaty’s signing.

Naval base as an instrument of influence:

The site stated that the naval base in Port Sudan was supposed to be Russia’s first advanced site in Africa and the Red Sea.

This will allow the Russian Federation to take control of the road through the Suez Canal which transports about 10% of the world’s total maritime traffic.

In addition, the new facility was supposed to facilitate logistics and ensure a Russian presence in the Indian Ocean.

Russia’s military base could also help Russia expand its influence in the Sudan, where its proxy forces support the Wagner Group Rapid Support Forces.