Israeli officials visited Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, a week after a military coup in the African country, meeting with Sudanese generals to assess the situation on the ground.
According to Israeli media, the delegation met with several top military commanders, including Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of a powerful Sudanese paramilitary force known as “Hemetti.”
Dagalo had travelled to Israel weeks before the coup to meet with members of the Israeli National Security Council and officials in the prime minister’s office.
Israel has maintained a low profile in its relations with Khartoum and the new junta, and, unlike most Western countries, has not issued any statements condemning the military takeover of power.
Some observers interpret the silence as a show of military support. Sudanese security leaders have been seen as being more active in efforts to normalize relations with Israel than civilian members of the former government.
Sudan reportedly agreed to normalisation with Israel last year in exchange for the US removing it from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Sudan has been led by a joint civilian-military transitional government since 2019, following the ouster of former President Omar Al-Bashir in the aftermath of a popular revolution.
On October 25, Sudan’s transitional government’s military branch, led by army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, declared a nationwide state of emergency, detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and top civilian officials, and dissolved the civilian-led government.
Protesters have taken to the streets in large numbers to denounce the coup, but they have been met with lethal force from the armed forces.