Russia is considering the creation of a logistics support point (pmto) Navy in the territory of the Sudan. The corresponding draft agreement between Russia and Sudan has already been approved by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. He instructed to submit a proposal to sign the agreement to the President. This decision was published on the official portal of legal information.
The draft on the creation of the Navy base was submitted by the Russian Ministry of defense, it was approved by the Russian foreign Ministry, the Supreme court, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. The document has been previously worked out with the Sudanese side.
The government decree explains that a logistics support point should be created in Sudan - a military formation of the Russian Federation's Armed forces with military and special equipment. In addition, there should be built facilities for life support of Parking and repair of Russian warships with the necessary supplies of material resources and other property.
The support point in the Red sea will be created by the Russian side's forces and resources, and the maximum number of Russian personnel there should be 300 specialists. No more than four Russian Navy ships can be in the pmto at the same time. According to the draft, Russia will be able to place temporary military posts in Sudan to protect its naval station outside its territory.
The external border protection of the pmto will be carried out by the Sudanese side. Russia, in turn, will ensure the protection of the borders of the water area of the base, its air defense, as well as internal security and law enforcement on the territory of the base. According to preliminary data, the agreement will be valid for 25 years with the possibility of further extension.
For the first time, information that Russia may have a logistics point in Africa appeared in 2017. The idea of creating a Russian military base in Sudan was proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin by President of Sudan Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was in Russia on an official visit. Al-Bashir proposed to set up a military base in Port Sudan, on the red sea coast.
At the time, this proposal was met with skepticism by many Russian experts. First of all, the expert community was concerned about the high costs that had to be incurred to create a full-fledged military base. In addition, the unstable political situation in this African state also caused concern.
However, the advantages of the appearance of a Russian naval base on the red sea coast significantly outweigh. Russia understands the strategic importance of the red sea, the Bab-El-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. We already have one logistics point on the Mediterranean sea in Tartus, Syria. The appearance of a similar base in the Red sea will significantly strengthen our position in the region. The base can become a guarantor of stability in the area and will undoubtedly affect the us plans to dominate the region.
Alexander Stepanov