RUSSIA TO OPEN NAVAL BASE IN SUDAN

Written by Michael Thervil

RUSSIA TO OPEN NAVAL BASE IN SUDAN | RUSSSIAN WARSHIPS | PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN

[Russia Sudan naval base] With many countries in Africa turning to the east to break away from western dominance and imperialism, Sudan foreign minister Ali Youssef has now augmented that process with offering a deal with Russia to allow it to open a naval base in exchange for weapons and military equipment. Although the terms of the deal are currently unavailable, it is said that the deal has a 25-year shelf life. Making the deal more attractive to Russia, foreign minister Ali Youssef has also placed an offer on the table that would allow Russia to park its warships in the Red Sea. All of this comes with the conditions that Russia aided with the war between the RSP (Hemedti) and SAF (Burhan) forces that have been plaguing Sudan since 2023 and has left millions of Sudanese citizens displaced and thousands killed. It should be noted that both factions have courted Russia for military assistance and the RSF has been supported militarily by the Russian Military Contractor Wagner.

This comes at a time when American President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in the country. It was reported that the Sudanese government will allow Russia to operate its naval base in February of next year and would accommodate up to 4 vessels and 300 troops in the port of Sudan which is in the northeastern part of the country. For Sudan this deal with Russia would allow them to obtain an advanced weapons system that the United States would be reluctant to sell to the Sudanese military. Also, by the Sudanese military obtaining Russian weapons without the type of stipulations that typically come with the purchase of American weapons.

This deal is expected by many geopolitical analysts to be a deafening blow to the Americans as they have been unsuccessful in their efforts to establish a military presence in Africa since being rejected by African governments across the Sahel region along with France. It should be noted that Russia isn’t the only eastern country that has been fostering diplomatic relations with African nations. China too has been gaining a larger footprint in Africa since the late 2000s and in 2017 China opened its military base in Djibouti, near the Bab al-Manbed strait. The Bal al-Manbad strait in a transnational waterway that connects the Red Sea, Suez Canal, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea to countries such as Yemen, Somalis, Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, Pakistan, Iran, Eritrea, and Egypt.

With Russia expanding its footprint in Africa in terms of military power, it also decreases the legitimacy of American power in the region giving Russia a brutal edge in terms of influence and power. For Russia, this appears to be an attractive deal due to the large amounts of gold mines and deposits that are within the Sudan. It can be said that the Sudanese government will be able to greatly benefit from this deal because it allows Russia forces to play a role in their battle against the RSF.

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While both countries Russia and Sudan will benefit greatly from such a deal being made, it must be understood that the Russian government is strategic in the approach when it comes to such deals. Given the fact that Russia is successfully defeating Ukraine on one front, it is historically understood that no country can fight two wars simultaneously. While it is likely that Russia may take the deal with the Sudanese government, it should also be known that Russia could be somewhat reluctant to engage any enemies of the Sudan directly and will most likely play a supportive role or advise and train the Sudanese military along with selling it advanced weapons.

If Russia fully accepted the terms and agreements of the deal, it runs the possibility of opening the door for countries like America to engage in utilizing the RSF as a proxy destabilizing against Russia and Sudan. Could all of this be worth it to Russia? Possibly, given the fact that Russia can take advantage of the natural resources such as gold in Sudan. If Russia can extract enough of it, it could act to not only circumvent American led sanctions, but aids in increasing Russia's gold stockpiles. Moreover, with Russia opening a naval base in the region it will also serve as a protected cover for not only Russia oil tankers but the shadow fleets that export Russian oil and gas to other countries. We are quite sure that African countries will appreciate the lower cost and influx of Russian oil into their prospective countries.