Russia plans to build a new base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast to serve as a logistics center for the Russian navy, marking its maritime security presence in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea areas as it aims to boost its global military footprint, Modern Diplomacy reports.
The draft agreement, released publicly Nov. 11, is emerging from the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi last year and gives authorization to the Russian Defense Ministry to sign the agreement on behalf of the Russian Federation.” According to the document, a maximum of four warships may stay at the naval logistics base, including “naval ships with the nuclear propulsion system on condition of observing nuclear and environmental safety norms.”
The facility will be able to moor nuclear-powered surface vessels near the Port Sudan and will have the capacity to accommodate more than 300 military and civilian personnel to boost Russia’s ability to operate in the Indian Ocean and increase its influence in African region.
Russian Prime Minister approved the draft agreement and gave instructions to submit the proposal to the president Vladimir Putin for signing. The Russian Navy’s logistics facility in Sudan, as the draft agreement says, “is defensive and is not aimed against other countries.” The signing of the document by the Russian president shows the positive results of negotiations.
Russia had a naval base in Somalia during the Soviet days, but its return to the Red Sea is also a matter of prestige since the military presence here gives a chance to control the flow of goods from India and East Asia to Europe and the east coast of the US.