The second man in the Sudanese coup, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), will head to Russia at the end of the week on a visit that is expected to discuss the naval base in the Red Sea, the Wagner mercenaries, and strengthening of the Rapid Support Militia.
AlTaghyeer: Agencies
Sources revealed to Al-Sharq that the second man in the coup in Sudan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), received an official invitation to visit Russia, at the end of this week.
Hemedti has been active in a recent round of international and regional moves, including Ethiopia, the UAE, and the State of South Sudan.
Al-Sharq’s sources said that during the visit, Hemedti is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
It indicated that the meetings will look into the bilateral issues between the two countries.
Observers expect Hemedti to discuss the issue of reviving the Sudanese offer of the Russian corps of establishing a naval base on the Red Sea coast.
The isolated civilian government froze a unilateral decision by the military council to give Russia a base near Port Sudan to harbor nuclear-powered ships.
Russia hopes to get the base to establish a foothold in the strategic region, strengthening its presence in Syria.
It is also likely the visit will discuss Wagner mercenaries, and whether to suppress local protests.
There is fear among army officers regarding Hemedti and his brother Abdel Rahim attempts at strengthening the Rapid Support Militia and turning it into a force similar to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It is also likely, as per experts, that Russia will support the militia with advanced weapons at the end of Hemedti’s visit.
