Sudan's coup leader open to visit 'Israel' if invited
Al-Burhan considers an invitation to visit "Israel", which supported the military coup that led to multiple deaths in Khartoum last year, a viable option.
The head of the transitional Sudanese Military Council, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, stated that he is ready to visit "Israel" if he was invited, Israeli media reported.
Per media reports, Al-Burhan, who attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, is prepared to convene with global leaders in order to break the isolation that Sudan is facing following the change of government in July and last year's military coup in Khartoum.
Sudan has been in turmoil since October 25, 2021, after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government was dismissed and a state of emergency was declared in the country. Before the takeover by the military forces, Sudan was ruled by a sovereign council of the military, and civilian officials were tasked with overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023. Then-Army General Al-Burhan spearheaded a military coup that halted a collaboration between the army and civilian parties that were supposed to lead to democratic elections, igniting months of protests and international condemnation.
At that time, the Israeli newspaper "Israel" Hayom quoted an Israeli official as saying that the recent developments in Sudan may be concerning "Israel" and US President Joe Biden's administration, especially since Washington is aiming to finalize Khartoum's normalization process, with the official suggesting that the Zionist entity supports the military coup led by Al-Burhan.
Per AP, Al-Burhan stated that his country is not in a state of war with "Israel" and that there is no such thing in Sudan as hostile. “The basis of relations is reconciliation, therefore if an invitation was presented and there are the means for this, I will go,” Al-Burhan said.
He has previously announced that mutual visits between his country and the occupation are intended solely for military and security purposes, not for political aims, knowing that Sudan normalized ties with "Israel" in October 2020 under the sponsorship of former US President Donald Trump.