Sudan refuses to host Russian naval base

Sudan has refused to host a Russian naval base due to fears that this could cause a negative reaction from Western countries.

Russia is not giving up attempts to place its naval base on the Red Sea coast in Sudan, but so far has not been successful, DW reports.

According to a Sudanese intelligence officer, in order to reach an agreement on the construction of a naval base, Russia offered the local authorities a modern S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. However, this offer was rejected by Sudan due to fears of causing a negative reaction from the United States and other Western countries.

Obtaining a new naval base is becoming especially important for Russia in light of recent events in Syria, where it may lose such a base due to the overthrow of ruler Bashar al-Assad. At the same time, Sudan, whose government supports the Kremlin, has not yet met Moscow’s wishes. However, an agreement has been reached between the countries on the purchase of Russian weapons and petroleum products. In particular, after a seven-month pause, fuel supplies have resumed: from April to October, Russia exported 2.8 million barrels of diesel and gasoline to Sudan, which accounted for almost half of all Sudanese imports.

Earlier, USM reported that the European Union would discuss the closure of the Russian naval base with the new Syrian authorities.