Sudan’s Al-Bashir Asks Russia for Protection From US

During a visit to Russia, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said that his country needed protection from the US. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir accused the US of fomenting the conflict in Sudan and asked Russia for help.

We are thankful to Russia for its position on the international arena, including Russia’s position in the protection of Sudan. We are in need of protection from the aggressive acts of the United States,” al-Bashir said.

Sudan’s president also praised Moscow’s military campaign in Syria and highlighted his intentions to ramp up military ties with Russia.

“We are currently launching a program to modernize our armed forces and we agreed with the defense minister that Russia will contribute to this.”

Putin meanwhile said that Russia wanted to intensify economic ties with Sudan, including in agriculture and energy.