“They responded to all our concerns, the deal is ‘okay’ from a military point of view,” said one of two military officials who spoke to the financial information agency Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
According to these officials, the deal has been finalized and is awaiting the formation of a civilian government and legislative body to be ratified before it enters into force.
Russia has reacted positively in recent days to some aspects that the Sudanese would like to see included in the agreement that will allow the construction and operation of a naval base in the Red Sea, including the supply of more weapons and military equipment.
The military contacted by Bloomberg did not provide further details about the deal, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday must be ratified by Sudan alone.
This African country has been without a parliament since a military-led popular uprising toppled former dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, and has been embroiled in political chaos since a military coup in October 2021 halted the transition to democracy.
The Sudan-Russia agreement was announced in December 2021 and is part of Moscow’s efforts to regain a regular naval presence in various parts of the world.
The agreement to build and operate a naval base on the Red Sea would allow Russia to have up to 300 Russian troops and maintain up to four ships at a time, including nuclear power, in Sudan’s strategic port, on the Red Sea.
According to former army chief Viktor Bondarev, the base would guarantee Russian military presence in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean and would make it unnecessary to make long journeys to reach the region.
In return, Russia will provide weapons and military equipment for the next 25 years, with automatic 10-year extensions if both sides agree.
In June 2021, Sudan’s military chief, General Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, told local television that Khartoum would review the agreement, and in February last year there were meetings between Russian authorities and the powerful leader of the paramilitaries, Mohammed. Hamdan Dagalo.
Returning from a week in Russia, the general said the country has no objection to Russia or any other country having a naval base in the country as it poses no threat to Sudan’s national security: “If a country wants one base open and it is in our interest and does not threaten our national security, we have no problem with anyone, Russian or otherwise,” he said.
Source: DN
