Six months later, Russia is still waiting, and there are indications that its ships may never be permanently stationed in Sudan. According to several Arabic publications, Khartoum has suspend an agreement granting Moscow permission to construct a naval base just north of Port Sudan, the country’s main commercial hub on the Red Sea. It is believed that large amounts of weapons were supplied to Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad through Port Sudan. Besides American, Russian navy ships also docked in Port Sudan several times over the past six months. Also, having a base in Port Sudan, on such a busy sea route, is very important for Russia to regain the status of the world maritime power – which is something Moscow strives for.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 22, 2021 23:26 UTC