As the Russian ambassador to Sudan, Andrei Chernovol, said in an interview with the independent website Moscow Times, the project to take over the port has been suspended due to the deteriorating security situation in the region. Although the authorities in Khartoum have not officially commented on the decision, the British think tank Progress Center for Policies indicates that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's interim government, the Sovereign Council, is behind the suspension of the talks.
General Burhan, according to the Progress Center for Policies, sees the interruption of negotiations with Russia as a strategic move in his rivalry with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Burhan hopes that this action will strengthen his position in the eyes of the United States. According to the Italian website Agenzianova, he is in talks with American representatives about the possibility of establishing a US military base on the Red Sea coast. In return, Sudan expects support in persuading the United Arab Emirates to stop supplying weapons to the RSF and to recognize the group as a terrorist organization.
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Russian influence in Sudan
Russia's plans for a naval base in Sudan date back to 2020, when Moscow signed a preliminary agreement with the then government of Sudan. The agreement included the construction of a logistics center in Port Sudan that would accommodate a maximum of four warships and 300 soldiers. The base was to become Russia's first permanent naval point in Africa since the collapse of the USSR. However, the agreement was never ratified, and the outbreak of the civil war stopped the project.
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Red Sea. A strategic place for a base
The strategic importance of the base on the Red Sea is unquestionable. The Suez Canal, crucial for world trade, handles about 10 percent of the world's trade. global maritime transport, even though recent conflicts such as the Iran-Israel war and attacks by Yemen's Houthis have affected its functioning. For Russia, having a base in Port Sudan would mean access to one of the busiest sea routes in the world and strengthen its position on the international arena.
In the face of the deepening crisis in Sudan, the future of Russia's plans on the Red Sea remains uncertain.
