On August 19, at the end of a three-day Sudanese ministerial visit to Russia, chaired by Minister for Mining Mohamed Bashir, the government of Khartoum offered to Zarubezhneft additional concessions to develop its oil fields (https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/82397/).
The Russian company has proposed to the government of Sudan an investment package to boost its operations in the country, where it already operates several concessions, and, according to the director general for oil exploration at Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum, al-Tahir Abul-Hassan, by next October Zarubezhneft could start operations in newly granted areas (https://sudantribune.com/article262993/).
The agreement is part of the strengthening of relations between Sudan and Russia, which, on the sidelines of meetings related to the oil industry, also involved the signing of a number of cooperation agreements in the agro-industrial sector. In fact, according to a statement by the representative of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the volume of business between the two countries in 2021 would exceed US$287 million, while in the first six months of 2022 alone it would register US$137.7 million (https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-offers-more-oil-blocks-to-russian-company).
The main proponent of strengthening the relationship with Russia is the vice chairman of the Sovereign Transitional Council, General Mohamed Dagalo, who sees the consolidation of the relationship with Moscow as the most suitable strategy to limit the ability of the United States and the international community to influence the country’s reform process, prevent the absorption of the Rapid Support Forces – under his command – within the regular armed forces and thus undermine the enormous economic and political interests connected with them.
Russia, therefore, stands in General Dagalo’s vision as a solution to the blockade of economic aid decreed by the International Monetary Fund as a result of last October’s coup and the failure to transition government to civilian authorities, ideally bringing in the necessary capital to run the country’s economic activities.
On August 25, in addition, the government news agency SUNA announced a substantial reshuffle at the top of the armed forces by decision of the chairman of the Sovereign Transitional Council, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. The deputy chief of staff for Administration, Lt. Gen. Munawar Osman Nuqud, and the deputy chief of staff for Training, Lt. Gen. Abdullah Al-Bashir Ahmed Al-Sadiq, were promoted to the rank of first Lt. General, and placed on retirement due to age limits. The commander of ground forces, Lt. Gen. Essam Mohamed Hassan Karrar, and Maj. Gen. Omar Shanan, were also placed on retirement due to age limit.
Instead, Rashad Abdul Hamid Ismail, who assumes command of the land forces, Abdul Mohamoud Hammad Hussein Ajami, Nasr Al-Din Abdul Qayyum Ahmed Ali, and Mubarak Koti Kajour Kmtor, who assumes the role of inspector general of the Armed Forces, were promoted to the rank of Lt. General and changed duties.
In addition, according to SUNA, General Al-Burhan also appointed the new Chairman’s Council of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Lieutenant General Muhammad Oshman Al-Hussein Al-Hassan being appointed to the rank of Chief of Staff and Lieutenant General Magdi Ibrahim Oshman Khalil to the rank of Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (https://suna-sd.net/read?id=747590).
