Sudan has entered the process of reviewing its Agreement with Russia, which was concluded during the thirty years of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ousted in 2019. Under this agreement, Russia would acquire a naval base on its shores. Red Sea.
In addition, the Sudan-Turkey Agreement is under review, where Turkey would acquire a naval base on the island of Suakin in the Red Sea for 99 years. The current Sudanese government does not allow Turkey to use the base militarily. The current government of Sudan is supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Sudan now has a technocratic government with a council of political and military actors, which has executive power until the end of 2023.
Last year, the United States appointed its first ambassador to Khartoum in decades, and the United States withdrew Sudan from the list of countries that finance terrorism. At the same time, Sudan has already begun normalizing its diplomatic relations with Israel.
If Russia acquires a naval base in Sudan, the Russian navy’s effectiveness in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean will increase significantly as it can anchor nuclear-powered ships, and the permanent presence of military personnel will not exceed 300 people.
Sudan is in dire financial straits and is trying to “auction off” its relations with Russia and the United States, which have offered multimillion-dollar financial aid to oust Russia.
Russia, for its part, should make a higher bid than the United States, while Sudan and China have threatened to reconsider an agreement to develop oil fields in the region.
Russia’s return to the Red Sea is also in many respects a matter of prestige. With its military presence in the region, it will be possible for it to control the flow of goods from India and East Asia to Europe and the East Coast of the United States.
The Red Sea is the main route for the supply of hydrocarbons, oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf region to Europe and North America.
