As Nations Cut Russia Ties, One Would-Be Leader Enjoys Moscow

(Bloomberg) -- While many nations are racing to cut ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, one senior foreign official has been sharing details of a days-long trip to Moscow.

Sudan's second-in-command, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, flew to Russia on Feb. 23 for meetings with the foreign minister and defense officials, the latest sign of deepening relations. He's been in no rush to return home, even as sanctions mount against Russia and the European Union urges Sudan to condemn Moscow's actions.

On Tuesday, Dagalo visited a Russian university's Sudanese studies center, an encounter publicized -- like much of the rest of the trip -- on Twitter by the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group he leads that's long been accused of serious human-rights abuses. He's also met members of the Sudanese community in Russia and spoke to his country's diplomats in Ukraine by phone.

Sudan's junta has been on the hunt for new assistance after a military coup in October led the U.S., Europe and international financial institutions such as the World Bank to withhold about $3 billion in financial support this year.

A former enforcer for Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir during the Darfur war of the early 2000s, Dagalo helped overthrow him amid mass protests in 2019. He quickly assumed new powers in the aftermath, becoming deputy of the quasi-presidential Sovereign Council, prompting speculation he has ambitions to rule the North African nation himself.

Sudan's army has made little official comment on the visit. A delegation accompanying Dagalo includes Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, who tweeted of the group's more than hour-long lunch with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It came “despite the situation Russia is experiencing,” he wrote.