Sudan welcomes US, Russian navy ships amid strategic competition
The rival powers are eyeing the fledgling democracy for a leg up on influence in East Africa
A US Navy destroyer on Monday docked in Port Sudan, on the African country’s Red Sea coast, as Washington looks to expand its ties with the post-revolutionary government in Khartoum.
The USS Winston Churchill arrived in port just a day after a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, docked nearby ahead of implementation of a recent deal that would allow Moscow to establish a naval base there, AFP reported.
A pro-democracy uprising that ousted Sudan’s longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, in 2019 has provided the United States an opportunity to counter Russia’s attempts to expand its influence in Africa.
Last month, the USNS Carson City, a transport ship, became the first US military vessel to dock in Sudan in decades. The stopovers follow a visit in which US Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg and Ambassador Andrew Young, AFRICOM’s deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, met with senior officials in Khartoum to discuss “pathways for partnership.”
