Sudan reaches agreement with Russia for Red Sea naval base 

Sudan has reached an agreement with Russia to establish a naval base on the Red Sea. The deal was announced by Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yousuf Al-Sharif on Wednesday during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

“We are in complete agreement on this matter, and there are no obstacles,” explained Yousuf. “We have reached a mutual understanding on this issue. Therefore, the matter is very simple… We have agreed on everything.”

An agreement to establish a Russian base in Sudan was approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 16 November 2020, but the issue remained stalled. Khartoum announced at the time that the agreement required parliamentary approval, before Burhan’s measures in October 2021, the dissolution of the government and the Council of Ministers, and the outbreak of war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023.

The Russian naval facility will be capable of hosting nuclear-powered warships and accommodating 300 soldiers and civilians. Up to four warships at a time will be able to dock at the base for repairs, resupply and provisioning.

A number of countries, including the US, do not want their strategic adversary Russia to gain a foothold in the Red Sea in Sudan.

During the press conference, Yousuf expressed his gratitude for Russia’s veto in the UN Security Council against a British draft resolution on Sudan in November 2024 against the backdrop of the ongoing war. He stressed Khartoum’s permanent rejection of any foreign interference in its affairs.

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