Russia strengthens its influence in the Red Sea with a new naval base in Sudan

1. Characteristics of the agreement
2. Four years of negotiations
3. A naval base in exchange for military support

After years of negotiations and waiting, Moscow has achieved its strategic aim of establishing a military naval base in Sudanese territory to control access to the Red Sea. This was announced by the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Youssef Al-Sharif, during his visit to Moscow.

‘We did not discuss what we wanted to agree, as this had already been signed in an agreement between the two countries and there was no disagreement on this matter,’ were the words of the minister after the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. The agreement envisages the construction of a military naval base in the city of Port Sudan, in the northeast of the country and on the shores of the Red Sea, which was one of the Kremlin's main objectives. 

Lavrov, for his part, made it clear that this agreement forms part of the strengthening of bilateral relations, which have improved considerably as a result of Russia's support for the Security Council's veto against the British resolution that established the possible interference of the United Kingdom in the internal affairs of Sudan.

Youssef concluded by emphasising Khartoum's rejection of any foreign interference and alluded to the fact that the station did not represent any threat to any other country or to Sudanese sovereignty, citing as an example nearby Djibouti, which hosts several foreign bases. 

‘We have reached a mutual understanding on this issue. Therefore, the question is very simple: we agree on everything,’ said Lavrov in response to the negotiations on the establishment of the new military base in Port Sudan. 

Characteristics of the agreement

Although the details of the agreement have not been finalised, sources consulted by the BBC have stated that the contract will last for 25 years, as Russia's idea is to establish a naval logistics centre to serve as a link for Russian ships in and around the Red Sea.

Among the capabilities of this new base are the possibility of housing ships with nuclear arsenals and of serving as a settlement for more than 300 Russian troops.

The same source claims that Russian interests in the port have allegedly increased in recent months due to the loss of soldiers in Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime, as the new government cancelled the contracts with the Kremlin that granted Russia the long-term lease of the only naval base that Moscow had outside the territory of the former Soviet Union. 

Four years of negotiations

1,550 days after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, began negotiations with the Sudanese authorities, the naval military base in Sudan is taking shape. Despite the stalling of the talks, Khartoum and Moscow have managed to bring their positions closer together.

The first problems arose in 2021 after the dissolution of the government and the outbreak of war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but it was not until April 2023 that the approval of the military base development plan became the responsibility of the Sudanese parliament.

Finally, in May, the deputy chief commander of the Sudanese Army, Yasser al-Atta, confirmed that both states would soon sign the contracts that are now known for the final establishment of the naval base in Port Sudan.

A naval base in exchange for military support

All concessions involve a barter; nothing is given without something, visible or not, being received in return. In this case, Sudan was not going to be outdone. During the press announcement of the agreement to establish the naval base, Lavrov assured that, in exchange for the Sudanese concessions, the Russian Executive is committed to sending ‘qualitative military aid without restrictions’. 

According to the German political scientist Hager Ali, Russia has always held the winning cards in the negotiations. Ali explains that the longer the conflict lasts, the more weapons the RSF will need and, therefore, the more weapons Russia will sell.

Es el mismo caso que con los combustibles, en especial, con el diésel. Para ello el politólogo señaló que la actividad rusa en otros países como Libia y Chad ha sido financiada gracias al contrabando de diésel, por lo que ahora, desde la nueva base en Port Sudán, el negocio de los hidrocarburos podría encaminarse de nuevo como uno de los focos principales de ingresos para Moscú.