Confusion, protests in Sudan after leader meets with Netanyahu

KHARTOUM (Agencies): The Sudanese government was not informed of the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudan’s leader, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which drew a muted response from other top officials and calls for public protests on Tuesday.

The meeting was seen in Sudan as a way to improve ties with the US, which has classified the Muslim African country as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1993.

Sudan’s cabinet discussed that meeting on Tuesday, despite still not receiving updates from Burhan. The cabinet summoned leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change, an alliance that fronted protests that toppled notorious dictator Omar al-Bashir last year, for consultations, FFC sources said.

The meeting was held in secret, with the IDF censoring early reports of it in Israel and only a small number of Sudanese officials knowing of it in advance. After the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Israel and Sudan would work towards normalization. No photos were released from the summit.

The United Arab Emirates organized Monday’s meeting between Netanyahu and Burhan, the AP reported. The meeting took place in Entebbe, Uganda; Saudi Arabian and Egyptian officials were also informed about it.

“We learnt through the media about the meeting,” Sudanese government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh told Sudanese media, adding that the country’s Council of Ministers was not informed about it. “We will wait for clarifications after the return of the President of the Sovereign Council.”

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who was visiting Djibouti, did not make any statements, which the Sudan Tribune said was unusual.

Burhan spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the day before the meeting, and Pompeo thanked him for “his leadership in normalizing ties with Israel.”

PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat came out strongly against Sudan-Israel normalization on Monday, saying “the meeting is a stab in the back of the Palestinian people and a blatant departure from the Arab Peace Initiative.”

“It was agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries,” an Israeli statement said.

“We agreed to begin cooperation that will lead to normalisation of relations between the two countries,” Netanyahu tweeted. “History!”