Sudan denies seeking Israel ties for Trump support

Sudan has denied reports that it sought normalisation meetings with Israel in exchange for political support, Foreign Minister Ali Youssef al-Sharif told Middle East Eye over the weekend.

Earlier this month, Sudanese news outlet al-Rakoba reported that Lieutenant General al-Sadiq Ismail, the personal envoy to Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a secret visit to Tel Aviv to discuss normalisation efforts with Israel.

Although Sudan signed the Abraham Accords in 2021, the formal signing of a peace treaty was postponed due to internal crises, including a coup against the democratically elected government and the ongoing civil war between Burhan and his rival, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti.

According to the report, the envoy's visit aimed to coordinate with Israeli officials on presenting Burhan in a favourable light to the new US administration and to address rising tensions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Burhan and the Sudanese army.

The envoy reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Burhan wanted to finalise the normalisation process with Israel and secure Sudan’s inclusion in the Abraham Accords in exchange for Israeli support.

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