Sudanese coup leader appears to support Russian naval base plan

General Abdel Fattah-Burhan, the new commander in chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, has indicated that he will approve the plan to establish a Russian naval station in his country.

“We have an agreement, part of which is the creation of the base. We are constantly discussing this topic and we have some comments that we need to eliminate. We are committed to international agreements and will continue to implement them,” Gen Burhan told RIA Novosti in his first media interview since he ousted his country's transitional government on 25 October.

Moscow released a document in November 2020 that described the planned facility as a “logistical support point” with up to 300 Russian naval personnel at the Sudanese naval base north of Port Sudan. Four Russian warships, including nuclear-powered vessels, will be able to visit at any given time. In return, Russia will assist Sudan in developing its armed forces, including by supplying military equipment and bolstering the air defences around the Sudanese naval base.

Before it was overthrown by Gen Burhan and his allies, Sudan's transitional government appeared to be stalling on the implementation of the agreement as its relations with the United States improved.

In June General Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, the then chief of staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces, said, “We are negotiating a possible review to this deal to ensure that our interests and our profits are taken into account.”