Russia offers military aid to “SAF” in
exchange for presence in the Red Sea
Informed sources revealed to “Sudan Tribune” the details of the Sudanese-Russian discussions that took place last week in the city of Port Sudan, which dealt with the exchange of political support as well as economic and military cooperation, including Russia’s offer to provide qualitative military assistance to the Sudanese army.
A military source shared that the Russian delegation offered to provide “unlimited” qualitative military assistance, as part of Russia’s efforts to strengthen its military relations with Sudan.
The source reported that this offer included qualitative military expertise that may require a Russian presence on Sudanese soil to fulfill.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, headed a Russian delegation in an official visit that lasted two days -April 28th and 29th- and met with the President of the Sovereignty Council, 1st Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and members of the Sovereignty Council. Discussions took place regarding the bilateral relations between the two countries as the visiting Russian delegation announced its full support for the Sovereignty Council.
However, while the large military delegation that was accompanying Bogdanov proved notable, the identity of its members or the conversations that were held with their counterparts in the Sudanese army leadership were not revealed.
According to sources, the discussions also addressed the issue of building a Russian naval base on the Red Sea coast, which was agreed upon with former President Omar al-Bashir, but it has since then sparked widespread controversy over its establishment and was then decided to refer the matter to the first elected legislative council to decide on it.
Inquiries about military relations with Ukraine
According to another source sharing with “Sudan Tribune” that, the Russian delegation raised inquiries regarding the military relations between Sudan and Ukraine, and requested answers to some points in relation to this matter.
Press reports had previously shared information about the participation of Ukrainian special forces alongside the Sudanese Army Forces in carrying out some operations against the Rapid Support Forces.
On a related note, the tribal leader and head of the High Council of Beja Nazirs and Independent Chieftains, Mohammed Al-Amin Terik, met with a member of the Russian delegation, as part of an attempt to establish popular diplomatic relations between Russia and some influential components in eastern Sudan.
