Sudan’s Burhan Says Has ‘Notes’ on Russian Naval Base Deal

A worker makes fishnets in Port Sudan at Red Sea State. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
A worker makes fishnets in Port Sudan at Red Sea State. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
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Sudan’s Burhan Says Has ‘Notes’ on Russian Naval Base Deal

A worker makes fishnets in Port Sudan at Red Sea State. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
A worker makes fishnets in Port Sudan at Red Sea State. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

Sudan has some notes about an agreement to construct a Russian naval base on its Red Sea coast, the country’s top general said on Monday.

These notes should be addressed before advancing in the implementation process, Army chief Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stressed in an interview with the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency.

“The creation of this base is part of an existing agreement. We keep regularly discussing the matter, and there are some faults that have to be remedied. We are committed to international agreements and will continue to implement them to the end,” he noted.

The Sudanese leader further underscored the “long-standing and continuous” military cooperation with Russia, praising Moscow’s position on developments in Sudan and its support for governments and peoples to decide their own fate.

In November 2020, Sudan and Russia agreed to establish a naval base on the Red Sea coast near Port Sudan to maintain peace and stability in the region. The base is “defensive and not aimed against other countries,” the defense ministry affirmed.

The facility could moor no more than four ships, including nuclear-powered ones, at the same time, it noted, adding that the hub would be used for repair and resupply operations and as a place where Russian naval personnel could take rest.

In other news, the Beja Tribal Council, a tribal group in eastern Sudan, announced on Monday it would temporarily lift a six-week blockade on the country’s main seaport, a week after the military took power in a coup.

Opponents of last week’s military takeover had accused the army of engineering the blockade of Port Sudan to put pressure on civilian leaders and ultimately justify plans to end civilian rule.

The army has denied being behind the blockade and declined to get involved, saying it was based on legitimate demands.

Barricades at the port and on the main road to Khartoum were being lifted from Monday morning for a month, said Abdallah Abushar, secretary for the High Beja Council.

Members of the group had shut the Red Sea port in September, calling for a range of demands including the replacement of the civilian-led government.

The Port Sudan blockade, which shut down Red Sea terminals and the main road linking to the capital, had resulted in wheat and fuel shortages and the re-routing of shipments through Egypt.

The group had demanded the civilian government be replaced with technocrats, and that parts of an October 2020 peace agreement with rebel groups across Sudan be renegotiated.

Last week, Sudan’s military took power in a coup, detaining civilian officials and politicians, and promising to establish a new government of technocrats. The coup has been met with opposition and street demonstrations over the last week.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.