Israeli Officials Reportedly Meet Sudan Ruler in Khartoum

An Israeli delegation is meeting with Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of its military-run ruling council in Khartoum, Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday.

The delegation was also set to meet with other top officials in the council, as well as senior military brass, according to the report. The visit was not reported in the Sudanese media, but the opposition still slammed the military council for hosting the Israeli delegation.

The Sudanese military seized power in October, and the coup has plunged Sudan into political stalemate and relentless street protests that have brought the deaths of more than 60 people.

Protesters want a fully civilian government, while the military says it would only hand over power to an elected administration.

The turmoil intensified earlier this month following the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after he failed to reach a compromise between the military and the pro-democracy movement.

Hamdok had been removed in the coup only to be reinstated in November as part of an agreement with the military. The deal sidelined the pro-democracy movement, which has mobilized the street protests.

In April, Sudan’s cabinet voted to repeal a 1958 law forbidding diplomatic and business relations with Israel, several months after Khartoum agreed to normalize relations.

• Sudan’s Chaos Reflects the Creeping Erosion of U.S. Influence
• UN Lays Out Plan for Sudan Talks in Bid to End Post-coup Crisis
• At U.S Request, Israel Is Using Its Sudan Ties to Curb Military Coup

Following the coup in October, the U.S. asked Israel to use its ties with Sudan to try to prevent violent escalation in the African country.

In the past year, Israel worked to increase diplomatic ties with Sudan, which have barely been developed in comparison to the three other countries that normalized ties with Israel in 2020 — United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

However, a source close to the talks between Israel and Sudan told Haaretz that “the internal situation in the country has made it difficult for Sudan to promote ties with Israel the same way the as the other countries have.”

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office refused to comment on the reports about the visit.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.