Russia may sign an agreement with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for the exchange of weapons for Russia's logistical hub in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Yasir Al-Atta, an assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, stated on May 25 that a military delegation would soon travel to Russia to finalize an agreement on the exchange of “vital weapons and ammunition” for the Russian logistical center in Port Sudan. Al-Atta described the planned Russian center as “not quite a military base.”
A well-known Russian military blogger, awarded by the Kremlin, also claimed on May 27 that the SAF had managed to regain several areas of Khartoum thanks to supplies of Iranian drones.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, met with the head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and several other Sudanese officials during a two-day visit to Sudan on April 28-29.
ISW previously assessed that Russia might change its side of support in the Sudanese civil war to back the SAF and establish its naval base on the Red Sea.
Military analysts believe that Russian support for the SAF would greatly benefit Iran, as it would align Russian and Iranian policies and strategies in the region.
It should be noted that there were earlier reports that Iran is equipping Russia with the latest UAVs equipped with Qaem-5 guided bombs. These UAVs were only introduced into service in Iran in 2019.
Photo: open sources
