Russia may sign agreement with Sudanese Armed Forces on weapons swap for Russian logistics hub at port on Red Sea – ISW

Russia may sign an agreement with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) exchanging weapons for a Russian logistics hub at Port Sudan on the Red Sea, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on Monday.

“The Sudanese Armed Forces Assistant Commander-in-Chief Yasser Al-Atta stated on May 25 that a SAF delegation will travel to Russia in the near future to conclude an agreement exchanging ‘vital weapons and munitions’ for a Russian logistics hub at Port Sudan. Al-Atta described the planned Russian hub as ‘not exactly a military base,’” the message reads.

It is also reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative for the Russian President in Africa and the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov met with SAF head Abdel Fattah al Burhan and several other Sudanese officials during a two-day visit to Sudan on April 28 and April 29.

“ISW previously assessed that Russia may be switching sides in the Sudanese civil war to support the SAF in pursuit of acquiring a Red Sea naval base and that Russian backing of the SAF would greatly benefit Iran by aligning Russian and Iranian policy and strategy in the region,” the review reads.