Sudan needs peace, not a foreign base
By Yassir Arman
If recent reports are accurate, Ambassador Ali Youssif’s visit to Moscow yielded an agreement to build a Russian naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast. This would only exacerbate regional and international tensions at a moment when Sudan is exceptionally vulnerable and desperately needs to safeguard its sovereignty. The country must carefully calibrate its positions, avoiding any entanglement in the competing interests of regional and global powers.
The world is experiencing a period of dangerous political, economic and geopolitical instability, with some actions reminiscent of the colonial era and direct intervention. Sudan, riven by internal conflict, faces a brutal civil war, along with regional and international designs on its territory and resources. All this unfolds as the Red Sea region becomes a locus of intense and unprecedented competition.
At this precarious moment, preserving Sudan’s sovereignty requires avoiding involvement in these power struggles. While it is possible to underscore Sudan’s strategic importance to the region and the world, aligning with any one side in these conflicts carries a heavy price, as has been demonstrated by events in neighbouring countries. The notion of a Russian base originated with the former National Congress regime, which mistakenly believed that such a presence would shore up its power. That regime, perhaps misreading the lessons of Syria, clung to this idea to no avail. The current war only compounds the problem.
Today, Sudan needs just peace and a renewed national vision, not foreign military bases. The priority must be rebuilding homes, schools and hospitals and resettling the millions of Sudanese displaced by war, including women, children and the elderly.
The Sudanese national movement has consistently opposed foreign bases and alliances. Moreover, no individual or entity currently possesses the democratic legitimacy to make such consequential decisions, which carry profound risks for the nation’s present and future.