The interests of Sudan and Russia coincide under the construction of a Russian base in the Red Sea and the ongoing political dispute in northeastern Africa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Amin Ismail Al-Majzoub, a retired Sudanese army general, and presently the head of the Sudanese Strategic Observatory, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The interests of Sudan and Russia coincide under the construction of a Russian base in the Red Sea and the ongoing political dispute in northeastern Africa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Amin Ismail Al-Majzoub, a retired Sudanese army general, and presently the head of the Sudanese Strategic Observatory, told Sputnik.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya channel reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that Sudan was suspending an agreement its previous authorities signed with Moscow last year for the construction of a Red Sea naval base, stirring fears of a potential Russian-American power struggle in the region.
"If Russia manages to establish presence in the Red Sea and seek the creation of a strategic relationship with Sudan, then it will have an immense influence on the GERD issue, considering that it will be raised to the UN Security Council, where Sudan will need to seek support for its position," Maj. Gen. Al-Majzoub said.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry did not confirm the veracity of the report, while the Russian embassy in Khartoum refuted it as flatly untrue.
"The interests of the two countries meet with regard to building a naval base and defending the host nation's national interests, especially since the Renaissance Dam poses great danger to Sudan's interior," Al-Majzoub said.
The GERD dispute has been marring Sudan's relations with its neighbors Egypt and Ethiopia since 2012, when the construction of what is set to become Africa's largest dam began. Sudan and Egypt fear that Ethiopia's dam will endanger their own water security. The African Union made several attempts to mediate the dispute but in vain.
