Rasha Awad warns Burhan against Russian gamble
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
Sudanese journalist and analyst Rasha Awad believes Abdel Fattah al-Burhan risks repeating Omar al-Bashir’s mistake by seeking Russia’s political and economic support. She says mining, infrastructure and Red Sea economic-zone investment projects will not guarantee Burhan remains in power, according to Radio Tamazuj.
Sudanese journalist and political analyst Rasha Awad believes that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese army, risks repeating Omar al-Bashir’s mistakes by turning to Russia to consolidate his power during the war. She said that this rapprochement would not guarantee his political survival, according to Radio Tamazuj.
Rasha Awad links this policy to talks with Moscow on Russian investment in mining and infrastructure, as well as the creation of an economic zone on the Red Sea coast. She sees the project as a manoeuvre intended to respond to Western pressure and compensate for the lack of progress in peace efforts led notably by the United States.
She recalled that Omar al-Bashir travelled to Russia in November 2017 to ask Vladimir Putin to protect Sudan from American actions and had discussed military cooperation, before being overthrown in April 2019 after several months of protests. In her view, international and regional dynamics will limit Russia’s ability to establish a presence on the Red Sea.
Rasha Awad’s comments came after al-Burhan’s participation in the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, followed by Sudan’s proposal for an economic zone on the Red Sea.
