Sudan seeks arms in exchange for hosting Russian naval base

Media reports revealed that Sudan’s ruling military council has made an official offer to Russia to establish its first permanent naval base in Africa on the Red Sea coast, in exchange for supplying the Sudanese army with advanced weapons systems and military support in its ongoing war against the Rapid Support Forces.

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing Sudanese officials, the proposal includes a 25‑year agreement allowing Russia to deploy up to 300 military personnel and host up to four naval vessels at a time, including nuclear‑powered warships, at Port Sudan.

In return, the Sudanese army would receive advanced air defense systems and other military equipment at “preferential prices,” while Moscow would be granted priority in contracts to exploit certain mining sites in a country that is Africa’s third‑largest gold producer. Other reports indicate that negotiations also cover supplying Khartoum with Su‑30 and Su‑35 fighter jets as part of a broader military cooperation package.

The proposed base would give Russia a direct foothold on one of the world’s most important maritime routes. Port Sudan’s location allows monitoring of ship traffic to and from the Suez Canal, through which about 12% of global trade passes, and would connect Russian naval activity between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean with greater capacity for resupply and maintenance.

Moscow has sought permanent arrangements at this port for years. An initial understanding to establish a Russian “naval logistics center” in Port Sudan was announced in 2020 under ousted president Omar al‑Bashir, but the project stalled after shifts in power in Khartoum and the outbreak of the current war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

This move comes as the Sudanese army faces mounting battlefield pressures in a war that has continued since April 2023 against the RSF, which, according to UN and human rights estimates, has killed tens of thousands and displaced up to 12 million people inside and outside Sudan, in one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crises.

The same sources note that Sudan’s military leadership views the proposed agreement with Moscow as an opportunity to secure new arms shipments after depleting stockpiles and facing Western restrictions on weapons supplies. For Russia, the base could serve as an additional card in its Red Sea naval strategy, alongside its expanding military presence in other African countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Western officials view any permanent Russian presence on the Red Sea with concern, seeing it as a threat to their strategic interests and an attempt to create pressure points on global trade and energy routes. Media reports quoted Washington officials warning that the base, if approved, would expand Russia’s ability to “project power” near the Suez Canal and restrict the freedom of action of Western fleets.

So far, there has been no official indication from Khartoum or Moscow that the agreement has been finalized. However, the multiple sources reporting on the offer, and the nearly identical technical details (25‑year term, 300 troops, four ships including nuclear‑powered ones), reflect significant progress in negotiations over a base long sought by Russia.

Observers believe the fate of the agreement will depend on two key factors: first, the Sudanese army’s ability to consolidate its control of power amid an unresolved war; and second, Khartoum’s willingness to bear the cost of deeper tensions with the United States and the European Union, which have long sought to prevent Russia and China from controlling vital ports and facilities in Africa.

Amid ongoing fighting and the absence of a clear political horizon to end the war, the naval base, if it materializes, appears to be part of a broader redrawing of military influence along the Red Sea coast, rather than merely a new logistical facility on Sudan’s shoreline.