Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, was scheduled to meet with Sudanese officials on Thursday as part of a trip of Africa to increase his country’s influence at a time when the West has been trying to isolate Moscow by imposing sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.
According to state news agency SUNA, Lavrov arrived in Khartoum late on Wednesday in an effort to strengthen links between the two nations’ economies. Iraq, Mauritania, Mali, and last week’s visit to South Africa were also on Lavrov’s tour.
After military commanders ousted a transitional government supported by the West in 2021, Sudan was cut off from foreign funding worth billions of dollars.
This week, Sudanese authorities hosted representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and France who are backing negotiations to build a new democratic civilian government in Sudan at the same time as meeting Lavrov.
In the past, Sudan’s ruling military council has debated permitting Russia to establish a naval station on the Red Sea coast, a strategically important area where Turkey and the Gulf States are also vying for influence.
Russia’s growing sway in the Sahel and its border regions in Africa is of concern to Western nations.
The Wagner Group, a private military contractor from Russia, reportedly operated in Sudan to boost gold mining among other things, according to Western diplomats and official sources.
The existence of Wagner, which is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has previously been disputed by Sudan’s foreign ministry.
Lavrov was scheduled to meet with Ali al-Sadeq, the prospective foreign minister, as well as other officials in Khartoum, according to SUNA.
Dmitry Trenin, a member of the Russia Foreign and Defence Policy Council, said in a statement from Moscow that Russia’s trip to Africa demonstrates its desire to establish greater military, security, and commercial connections in the area.
“There were many different contacts the Soviet Union had in Africa. Since the end of the SU, there has been a shift in Moscow’s perception of how long Africa has been ignored and how much more attention it should be receiving.
He stated that “Russia is attempting to encourage security assistance… as well as economic and educational programs.”
“The earthquake that wrecked Russia’s relations with Europe and the wider West is the primary factor [in Russia’s interest in Africa]. The Middle East, Africa, and Asia are regarded as Russia’s most significant and exclusive partners in the hybrid conflict between the West and Russia, according to Trenin.
In the final years before former President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a 2019 revolt, Sudan courted Russian backing.
Civilian Sudanese parties who shared power with the army following al-fall Bashir’s had closer links to the West before the coup 15 months ago.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, visited Russia the day before the February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine and expressed willingness to host a Russian base. He is also the head of Sudan’s potent paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
