According to a Wall Street Journal report, Sudan’s military leadership has proposed to Russia the establishment of the first Russian naval base on the African continent. The facility is planned to be located in Port Sudan, at a strategic point on the Red Sea, through which some of the world’s most important commercial shipping routes pass.
If the agreement proceeds, Moscow will be able to station up to 300 soldiers and four warships, even nuclear-capable ones, while securing preferential access to Sudanese mining concessions. In exchange, Sudan’s military regime expects advanced Russian weapons systems, which it considers critical for continuing the civil war against the Rapid Support Forces.
This prospect causes intense concern in the United States, which is trying to limit the influence of both Russia and China in Africa. A permanent Russian presence in the Red Sea would significantly enhance Moscow’s ability to extend its naval activity in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean and monitor maritime traffic toward the Suez Canal.
The Kremlin’s interest in a base in Sudan is not new, however the prolonged war in the country creates new opportunities for diplomatic and strategic negotiations. With the situation on the front deteriorating, Khartoum appears more willing to proceed with the agreement, although this may strain its relations with the US and European Union.
At the same time, Africa remains a field of competition among major powers: China has already established its own naval base in Djibouti, at a short distance from the American Camp Lemonnier, while the US, Russia and regional countries continue to be involved indirectly or directly in the country’s war, supporting different sides.
Within this environment of instability and international involvement, the plan for a Russian base in Port Sudan represents another link in the battle for influence that has been developing in recent years on the continent.
