Arms for Oil in Africa

Apparently the government of the Sudan is prepared to offer Russian energy companies special benefits and terms to make sure that this country is the “gateway” for Russia’s entrance to continent:

Mudawi further said that Sudan does not see Russia’s economic partner only and, but an ally to security. He pointed out that there are some areas on the African continent in which Russian soldiers take part in peacekeeping operations, including Darfur.

The Russian official, Margelov, stressed that Russia sees that all the problems in Sudan and African countries that suffering from internal conflicts should be solved with the help of the international community but without direct intervention.

Last month Sergei Lavrov visited New York for a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, where explained the military intervention in South Ossetia as a humanitarian prevention of genocide under the UNSC principle of “responsibility to protect.”

But the Janjaweed need to buy their arms from somewhere…  One hopes that any Russian oil workers will have better luck than the Chinese.