SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New Arab – Will Russia's support for Sudan's army turn the tide in the war?
Analysis by Elfadil Ibrahim plays down the view that Russia’s support for the Sudanese army (SAF) will tip the tide in SAF’s favour, with Russia handicapped by sanctions and its own war effort in Ukraine.
Sudanese political analyst Mujahid Bushra said Russia’s support for the army is “unlikely” to have a major impact given that Rapid Support (RSF) finances can sustain a five-year war.
Samuel Ramani, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said Russia does not want to align itself to closely with either the army of the RSF militia as “neither side will be able to completely destroy the other” and it wants to “maintain close ties with whoever is in power”.
Nonetheless, Sudan is simultaneously deeping ties with Ukraine, finding common ground over "illegal armed groups financed by Russia", with Ukrainian Special Forces carrying out night raids on RSF-controlled areas in Omdurman.