The newspaper "Walla" reported on Monday that an Israeli delegation, including members of the Mossad intelligence agency, secretly visited the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, last week, following the military's takeover of power. According to Israeli officials cited by the newspaper, the delegation, which included Mossad representatives, met with Sudanese military officials to "gain an impression of the internal situation following the military coup that occurred last week."
A Western diplomat confirmed to the newspaper that one of the individuals the Israeli delegation met was Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti," who was the Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council before it was dissolved, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces.
"Walla" also mentioned that Hemedti had previously visited Israel with a Sudanese military delegation a few weeks before the military's takeover and met with senior members of the National Security Council and other officials in the Prime Minister’s office in Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials told the newspaper that the military delegation "reviewed their political agenda in their country, but they did not discuss their intentions regarding the coup."
In the final days of former U.S. President Donald Trump's term, Sudan signed what were dubbed the "Abraham Accords" to normalize relations with Israel on January 6, 2021. The main negotiations took place between Israeli security officials and Sudanese military officials led by Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
On October 25, Al-Burhan announced the dissolution of transitional ruling institutions formed in partnership between the military and civilians after the overthrow of the Bashir regime in 2019, following a five-month uprising, and declared a state of emergency, resulting in the arrest of dozens of ministers and activists.
The actions taken by the military against their civilian partners in power on October 25 led to a wave of international condemnation and calls to return to civilian rule, amidst warnings to military authorities about the use of violence against demonstrators.
Israel has yet to confirm the fate of the normalization agreement with Sudan. However, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price recently suggested that the agreement may undergo "reevaluation" following the military's takeover. The Israeli public broadcaster "Kan" reported last week, citing a prominent Sudanese diplomat, that "the clear military coup in the country today is not expected to significantly affect plans to normalize relations with Israel."
