AP: Sudan completes revision of agreement on creation of Russian naval base

The Sudanese authorities have completed the revision of the agreement on the construction of the Russian naval base in the country, Moscow has complied with the latest demands of Sudan, including the provision of more weapons and equipment, transmits The Associated Press, citing statements by two officials from an African country.

“They removed all our concerns. From the military side, the deal was approved,” one of the officials said, adding that the agreement must be ratified before it comes into force.

An agreement to establish a logistic support point (PMTO) of the Russian Navy in Sudan was reached in December 2020 after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir with representatives of the Sovereign Council.

The agreement was never ratified, and in June 2021, the Chief of Staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Muhammad Osman al-Hussein, said that the country intended to revise its terms. Later, the country’s authorities also declared about the intention to revise the agreement and receive from Moscow “economic assistance subject to a five-year lease with the possibility of signing an agreement for 25 years.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the PMTO will be used for repairs, resupply and recreation of crew members of Russian warships. The maximum number of military personnel who will serve in the PMTO will not exceed 300 people, the document says. At the same time, no more than four Russian warships will be able to stay at the supply point.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov 9 February visited Sudan, where he met with the Chairman of the Sovereign Council of the country and the de facto head of state, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy, Muhammad Hamdan Daglo, and Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq. Following negotiations with his Sudanese counterpart, Lavrov said that Khartoum would still ratify the agreement. “As for the agreement on the establishment of a material support point for the Russian Navy in Sudan, it is now in the process of ratification,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this week that the agreement still needs to be ratified by Sudan’s yet-to-be-formed legislature, AP reported. As the agency notes with reference to the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force Viktor Bondarev, the creation of the base will ensure the presence of the Russian fleet in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and save its ships from the need to make long passages to this area. In return, Moscow undertakes to provide Sudan with weapons and equipment. The agreement is designed for 25 years with an automatic extension for a 10-year period as agreed by the parties.