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[Abe Abraham]

Sudan offers Russia a limited presence on the Red Sea |


Khartoum - The transitional authorities in Sudan found themselves in real trouble due to Russia's adherence to previous agreements guaranteeing it a military presence in the Red Sea through the "Flamingo" base in Port Sudan, at a time when Khartoum seeks to strengthen its relations with the United States after it was removed from the list of terrorism.

Sudanese sources revealed to Al-Arab that Khartoum offered Moscow a form of agreement that includes the possibility of allowing a limited Russian presence at the “Flamingo” base without large military vehicles or missile batteries, or the establishment of a military airport. And cooperation is within the framework of maintenance and technical support, which means that the essence of the required base becomes "civilian and provides logistical services for ships without military equipment that embarrass Sudan in front of its Western partners."

A Russian military delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin adhered to the agreements signed since the end of the era of former President Omar al-Bashir, which stipulate the establishment of a supply center for the Russian fleet in Sudan, during its days of talks with Sudanese military leaders in Khartoum.

Last month, information spread about stopping the project to build a base "Flamingo" without an official statement issued by the Sovereignty Council or the government regarding this measure. However, several government leaders confirmed in various statements the postponement of military cooperation with Russia until the formation of the Legislative Council.

The same sources revealed that "the military component is looking for a solution to equate continued cooperation with Moscow and ensure the continuation of Western support, and does not want to close the door to Russia, because there are advanced military relations between the two countries at the level of armament, training, technological development and information intelligence via satellites."

Al-Rashid Muhammad Ibrahim: The military component does not want to throw all eggs into the Washington basket

In return, the Russian delegation sought to preserve the strength of the agreement and not completely violate it, and offered armament inducements to the Sudanese army that would enable it to preserve the current situation between them, and to conclude a long-term military agreement that would enhance the idea of ​​presence in the Red Sea.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Tuesday that his country and Sudan are continuing consultations regarding the agreement related to the establishment of a Russian military base on the Red Sea, referring to the two countries' interest in this project.

The strategic expert, Rashid Muhammad Ibrahim, indicated that Russia is trying in various ways to settle the dispute over the “Flamingo” base and completely neutralize the bias of the civilian component towards the United States, and to provide the equivalent of the support that Khartoum receives from Washington.

The Russian delegation is the second to visit Sudan since the decision to stop the deployment at the "Flamingo" base. About two weeks ago, another military delegation discussed with the head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the possibility of implementing the previous agreement, and it seemed that the matter needed more discussions at the level of Commanders of the two armies for the purpose of linking military cooperation with the Russian presence in the Red Sea.

In a statement to Al-Arab, Al-Rasheed added that the military component in Sudan does not want to throw all the eggs into the US basket and seeks to have an open door in front of Moscow that can be relied upon if the need arises, but he does not want this approach to become a source of inconvenience to Western countries.

The slow pace of the process of strengthening cooperation between Khartoum and Moscow is in the interest of both parties, as it does not open the door wide open to the Russian presence, but Russia is still there, and the hope of changing the Sudanese hesitation still appeals to it, even if by providing additional assistance to Khartoum.

Russia is playing on the chord of military support in exchange for the economic support that Sudan will receive from the United States and the European Union countries, while Khartoum needs both types and sides, because the army's weapons are dominated by the Russian industry, and there are difficulties in concluding military agreements with Western countries currently at a time when the country is suffering from Intractable economic problems need urgent aid.