A US warship docked in Sudan Monday a day after a Russian frigate arrived in the same key Red Sea port where Moscow is planning to establish a naval logistics base, an AFP correspondent said.
The arrival of the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill to Port Sudan follows Washington's delisting of Khartoum as state sponsors of terrorism, following the April 2019 ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir.
An expeditionary fast transport ship, the USNS Carson City, had already docked in the port on February 24, the "first US navy ship to visit Sudan in decades", the US embassy in Khartoum said in a statement at the time.
It "highlights the willingness" of the US military to "strengthen their renewed partnership" with Sudan's armed forces, it added.
The arrival of the USS Churchill was "the second (US) ship to stop in Sudan this week," said US Charge d'Affaires Brian Shukan.
Its arrival, "sheds light on US support for a democratic transition in Sudan," Shukan added, in a message on Twitter.
The USS Churchill docked shortly after Russia's Admiral Grigorovich frigate arrived in Port Sudan, where the Russian navy said "a logistical support base" would be created.
The Admiral Grigorovich frigate would refuel and its crew rest after exercises in the Indian Ocean off Pakistan, the navy added.
- 'Peace and stability' -
Sudan's military said the Admiral Grigorovich's visit was "part of advancing diplomatic relations" between the two countries, according to a statement late Sunday.
In December, Russia announced signing a 25-year agreement to build a naval base in Port Sudan, part of Moscow's latest push into Africa as it seeks to renew its geopolitical clout.
The purpose of the base will be to "uphold peace and stability in the region", according to the deal.
Russia's navy will be allowed to keep up to four ships at a time at the base including nuclear-powered vessels. The base will be manned by up to 300 military and civilian personnel.
Russia will have the right to transport via Sudan's airports and ports "weapons, ammunition and equipment" needed for the naval base to function.
The Red Sea naval base will be Russia's first in Africa and only its second on foreign soil, after Tartous in Syria.
The US has its only permanent base in Africa in the port of Djibouti, 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) to the south, which overlooks the narrow strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden -- a chokepoint for world shipping.
After Bashir was toppled, Sudan is led by an civilian-majority administration which has been seeking reintegration in the international community and to ending decades of pariah status.
In December, Washington removed Khartoum from its blacklist as part of a deal for Sudan to agree to normalise ties with Israel.
The move is hoped to help fix Sudan's beleaguered economy suffering from decades of US sanctions, mismanagement and civil war, as well as by the secession of oil-rich South Sudan in 2011.
Newer articles:
- South Sudanese Lives Matter - 01/03/2021 11:32
- 3 South Sudanese men arrested for death of 2-year-old boy - 01/03/2021 10:28
- All-female UNMISS engagement teams win hearts and minds across South Sudan - 01/03/2021 08:15
- Sudan imposes new controls over gold trade - 01/03/2021 07:52
- South Kordofan detainees assaulted, stripped of possessions by Sudan intelligence - 01/03/2021 04:33
Older news items
- Female “blue beret” doctors in South Sudan - 28/02/2021 21:33
- South Sudan mulls extending partial lockdown amid rising COVID-19 cases - 28/02/2021 08:57
- What I learned about stress when living in a tent in South Sudan, delivering food to starving people - 28/02/2021 06:45
- EAC’s New Members: DRC under Review, Somalia Review Soon, South Sudan in progress - 27/02/2021 12:00
- South Sudan Price Bulletin, February 2021 - 26/02/2021 20:13
Latest news items (all categories):
- رسالة مفتوحة إلى مدام لميس الحديدى - 01/11/2024 17:50
- Policy actions to strengthen Public Finance Management in South Sudan - 01/11/2024 15:30
- WFP Calls for Cash to Frontload South Sudan Operations Amid Warnings of Rising Hunger - 01/11/2024 15:26
- DTM South Sudan: Biometric Registration and Cash Assistance - Raja Town (October 2024) - 01/11/2024 15:23
- Urgent Call for Government Regulation of Land in the Capital Juba and other areas in South Sudan to Prevent Community Hatred - 01/11/2024 14:52
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan News: Fashoda Releases New Report on Regional Perspectives - 13/09/2013 15:21
- Nimule-Juba Highway Placed Under Siege As Military Demand Salary Increment - 19/10/2023 07:10
- S Sudan govt. accuses rivals over truce - 29/08/2015 08:47
- Mubarak: Egypt supports Sudan unity - 11/11/2008 16:01
- Fighting between S.Sudan rebels, govt near capital - 24/07/2019 05:10
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 54139 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22157 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21273 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18708 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17379 times