MOSCOW- Russia plans to create a logistics hub for its navy in Sudan, which will accommodate up to 300 troops and staff, according to a draft agreement published by the government on Wednesday.
The proposed hub would be able to hold no more than four ships at a time, including those with nuclear installations, the agreement said.
Moscow is keen to increase its influence in Africa, a continent with 54 United Nations member states, sprawling mineral wealth, and potentially lucrative markets for Russian-manufactured weapons. In 2019, Russian authorities hosted the first Russia-Africa summit in Sochi.
The pact stemmed from Russia and Sudan's desire to strengthen and develop military cooperation, according to the agreement dated Nov. 6 and signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Further southeast, strategically located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal, Djibouti is home to Chinese, U.S. and French naval bases, while other navies often use its port.
(Reporting by Moscow Newsroom, Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Bernadette Baum) ((alexander.marrow@thomsonreuters.com;))
