SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Bloomberg – Sudan’s Deputy Visits Russia With Weapons-for-Port Deal on Table
Bloomberg report that Sudan’s deputy leader Malik Agar is traveling to Russia, days after Sudan’s army said it may get weapons in exchange for letting Russia establish a military fuelling station on the Red Sea coast.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), such a deal may end Russia’s support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who protected Russian interests in Sudanese gold to help fund its war in Ukraine and mitigate the impact of Western sanctions.
Sudan’s move is likely to stoke Western concern about Russia’s growing African profile, alongside the Sudanese army’s revitalised ties with Iran, which has supplied armed drones that have helped the military regain control of much of Khartoum. “The army’s decision to look to Russia and Iran has happened after “a lack of support from other partners, including the West,” the ISW said.