Sudan: Military Delegation held secret talks in Israel

A Sudanese military delegation, which included Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, secretly visited Israel for meetings, reports revealed on Friday.

Dagalo was joined on the trip to the Jewish state by the chief of Sudan’s state-run arms manufacturer, Mirghani Idris Suleiman, Al-Arabiya TV and Al-Sudani newspaper reported.

According to Israeli media, Israel’s diplomatic channels between Mossad and Dagalo have angered Khartoum. The head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and Head of Transitional Government, Abdullah Hamdok, reportedly viewed the unofficial channels as part of an attempt to undermine their authority.

Several months ago, Sudanese officials expressed their dissatisfaction with the Mossad-Dagalo contacts to the US ambassador in Khartoum. The complaint resulted in Washington asking Israel to begin liaising with Sudan’s civil administration, according to Israeli officials cited by Walla! news.

Under pressure from the United States, Sudan joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco last year in agreeing to normalise ties with Israel – though it has moved slowly to implement the deal.

At the time, Sudan was desperate to escape the United States’ State Sponsors of Terror list – a prerequisite for debt relief and support from international lenders.