Sudanese general says Russia has requested Red Sea fueling station in exchange for arms

By Reuters 25 May 2024, 6:56 pm

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File: A Russian navy missile ship 'Veliky Ustyug' sails off from the Russian naval facility in Tartus, Syria, on patrol in eastern Mediterranean, September 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

CAIRO, Egypt — A top Sudanese general, Yasser al-Atta, says Russia had asked for a fueling station on the Red Sea in exchange for weapons and ammunition, and that agreements with Russia would be signed soon.

The two countries signed a naval base deal under former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, but army leaders later said that plan was under review and it never materialized.

Russia has previously developed ties with the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which is the army’s foe in a year-old war and which Western diplomats say has also had ties with Russia’s Wagner private military group.