U.S warns Khartoum over Russian military base at Red Sea

September 28, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The U.S ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey warned of consequences if Khartoum allows Russia to establish a military base at the Red Sea coast.

Godfrey, the first U.S ambassador to Sudan in 25 years, said such a decision would not only isolate Sudan from the international community but also undermine its interests.

“There are some reports that Russia is trying to implement the agreement it signed with ousted President Omar al-Bashir in 2017 to establish a military base along the Red Sea,” the diplomat said in an interview with Sudan’s Al-Tayyar newspaper on Wednesday.

Al-Bashir was overthrown from power in April 2019 following months of protests.

The U.S diplomat, however, said “if the government of Sudan decides to proceed with the establishment of this facility, or to renegotiate it, it will be harmful to Sudan’s interest”.

“All countries have a sovereign right to decide which other countries to partner with, but these choices have consequences, of course,” he stressed.

Washington, according to the diplomat, is keen on seeing a new civilian-led government and a transitional framework that will take the country back to the path of democracy.

In November 2017, Sudan and Russia signed cooperation agreements on military training, experience sharing, and the entry of warships into the ports of the two countries.

On December 9, 2020, Russian media published the text of the agreement between Moscow and Khartoum on the establishment of a supply and maintenance base for the Russian Navy along the Red Sea “to support peace and security in the region.”

(ST)