Israeli Spy Agency Mossad Delegation Visited Sudan in midst of the Military Coup

The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel report that an Israeli delegation secretly visited the Sudanese capital of Khartoum last week, according to Walla and Sudanese reports.

The delegation, which reportedly consisted of Mossad representatives, met with Sudanese military personnel, most notably with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a prominent general in the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary force that took part in the coup carried out last month, the Walla news site reported Monday.

Dagalo had been part of a Sudanese military delegation that visited Israel several weeks earlier, meeting with members of the National Security Council and other officials in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli officials told Walla that while the sides discussed the political situation in Sudan and the stability of the civilian government during the Israel visit, the Sudanse did not offer any indication that they would be carrying out a coup and deposing the civilian-led government later that month.

Last week, Sudan's military took power in a coup, detaining civilian officials and politicians, and promising to establish a new government of technocrats.

The coup has been met with opposition and street demonstrations over the last week.

While much of the Western world has condemned the coup, Israel has remained noticeably silent. Sudanese military leaders have taken note of the response in Jerusalem and believe it constitutes approval of their actions, the report said.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — Sudan’s de facto leader since the 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir — led the takeover, saying it was meant to “rectify the course” of the post-Bashir transition.

Burhan had been the more prominent player leading normalization efforts in Israel.

Pro-democracy activists have been rounded up since the military takeover, and US officials estimate that 20 to 30 protesters have been killed by the military.

Briefing reporters on condition of anonymity last Friday, a senior US official said he didn’t think now was the time for Washington to move forward with efforts to pressure Sudan into finalizing its normalization deal with Israel.

Former president Donald Trump agreed to support Sudan, including by removing the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, after it consented under US pressure to normalize relations with Israel.

“[The Abraham Accords are] good for the whole – good for Sudan, it’s good for the region,” the official said.

“But I just do not see us pushing a military government on this issue right now, given the fact that we do not see Sudan being stable as long as there’s a military domination,” the official added.