Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Mikhail Bogdanov visited Sudan last night as a sign of support for the Sudanese army , which is involved in a year-long war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Bogdanov, who is also the special representative for the Middle East and Africa, met with Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, which has been a base for the army and government officials since the SDF seized large parts of the capital Khartoum at the beginning of the conflict.
Bogdanov said that his visit could lead to increased cooperation and expressed support for "the existing legitimacy in the country, represented by the Sovereign Council,", according to a statement from the council, which is headed by Burhan.
There is uncertainty over who Russia is backing in Sudan because of Moscow's ties to SBP commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who visited Moscow in the run-up to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The same year, Western diplomats in Khartoum said that the Russian private military company "Wagner" is involved in illegal gold mining in Sudan and spreading misinformation. Last year "Wagner" stated that it is no longer operating in Sudan.
Russia, which has previously shown interest in a naval base on Sudan's Red Sea coast, began supplying diesel fuel to Sudan earlier this month, Reuters adds.