Earlier this week, the chief of staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Muhammad Othman Hussein, said Khartoum intends to revise an agreement on a Russian naval base, because it was signed by the former government of Sudan but was never ratified by parliament.
"What decision? The decision has not yet been made, because the agreement that was signed has not entered into force, therefore, its approval has not been completed. Therefore, I think that [the approval process] will continue, because they said they were not happy with the new leadership that came after the overthrow of [former President] Omar Bashir. Therefore, it remains to be discussed", Bogdanov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), adding that Russia and Sudan have been in touch to discuss the issue.
In 2017, then-Sudanese President Omar Bashir said that he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu the possibility of creating a military base in the Red Sea. The Russian ambassador to Khartoum explained then that the two sides were discussing plans to open a logistics unit rather than a full-fledged military base.
In early December 2020, the two parties signed an agreement to set up a Russian Navy logistics hub on the Red Sea coast.