Top Russian Diplomatic Official Pays Rare Visit to War-Torn Sudan

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov paid a two-day visit to Sudan this week, where he met army commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan—the country’s de facto leader—in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. According to an April 29 statement issued by Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Mr. Bogdanov said that his visit was aimed at forging closer ties between the two countries. Mr. Bogdanov, who serves as Moscow’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa, also voiced support for “the existing legitimacy in [Sudan] represented by the Sovereign Council,” according to the statement. The Sovereign Council is led by Gen. al-Burhan, who has ruled Sudan since 2019, when longstanding leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted amid mass demonstrations....