Sudan freezes agreement to host Russian military base

Sudan has frozen a military agreement with Russia which includes the establishment of a Russian military base on the Red Sea coast of the African country, a top Sudanese official told Turkish news agency Anadolu.

The official who asked not to be named because not allowed to talk on the matter, told the Turkish news agency that the freeze decision “concerns an agreement signed by the former regime (headed by Omar Al-Bashir 1989-2019) with Moscow, and includes the establishment of a Russian military base in a Sudanese Port.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin in November approved the draft agreement between his country and Sudan for the establishment of a Russian naval base on the eastern coast of the African country.

The base was to be Russia’s first ever full military presence in Africa and the second in the world, after Tartus in Syria.

The Sudanese official also noted that the move to freeze the agreement is motivated by terms and details that cannot be pursued without the agreement of the two parties, especially after the December revolution.

The 25-years long agreement was signed at the time of former leader Omar Bashir who was deposed by the military in April 2019.