Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a draft law to the State Duma on Thursday for ratifying an agreement between Russia and the Republic of Sudan regarding the establishment of a logistical support center for the Russian Navy. The draft law related to the agreement is now available in the State Duma's online database. According to the source, the logistical support center will be capable of accommodating no more than four Russian ships at the same time. The document states that the maximum number of personnel at the naval center from the Russian side will not exceed 300 military and civilian individuals.
It is notable that the issue of establishing a Russian naval center in Sudan has been under consideration since November 2020. The agreement signed between Russia and Sudan on December 1, 2020, published on the Russian legal information portal, indicates that the Russian fleet may utilize the logistical center in Sudan for a duration of 25 years.
In 2017, former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir mentioned in an interview with "Sputnik" that he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the possibility of establishing a Russian military base on the Red Sea in Sudan. Subsequently, the Russian ambassador in Khartoum clarified that the two parties were discussing the opening of a support center, rather than a full military base.
Sudanese Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim confirmed at the end of last month that the final approval for establishing a Russian base in Sudan requires numerous arrangements. According to statements reported by the Sudanese website, Ibrahim attributed these arrangements to the involvement of the Cabinet as part of the legislation in Sudan. The Sudanese minister explained that the approval from Sudan, represented by the Sovereign Council, for the agreement to create the Russian naval supply center in the Red Sea was obtained in July 2019, while the Russian side ratified it in December 2020. He noted that the period between these dates saw the Cabinet becoming "part of the legislation in Sudan." Therefore, "the legislation must now go through the Cabinet and then the Sovereign Council, and the final ratification requires numerous arrangements."
