(Khartoum) Sudan and Israel agreed on Thursday for the “normalization” of their relations and a “peace treaty”, during the first official visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister to Khartoum.
During this “historic political trip”, in the words of Israeli diplomacy, the two countries “agreed to move towards a normalization of relations”, said the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“A peace treaty between Sudan and Israel” will be signed “after the transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government which will be established as part of the ongoing transition process in the country”, said the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen, once back in Israel.
After the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, civilians and soldiers shared power in Sudan until October 25, 2021, when General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane took power after a coup.
The democratic transition has since been interrupted and the political dialogue deadlocked, and the repression carried out by the security forces has killed more than 120 activists opposed to the putsch.
Mr. Cohen met in the Sudanese capital with General Burhane, de facto leader of the country since the putsch, and the minister appointed by the latter as head of diplomacy, Ali al-Sidiq.
In January 2021, Sudan expressed its adherence to the Abraham Accords, by which three other Arab states recognized Israel, while civilians and soldiers still shared power in Sudan.
The country had thus broken with the inflexible position of Bashir, a great enemy of the Jewish state and long close to the Palestinian movement Hamas.
With these agreements, Khartoum, banned from the international community during a long embargo under Bashir, had obtained financial assistance from the United States, a few weeks after its withdrawal from the American list of States accused of financing terrorism.
“Successful Relationships”
Unlike the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, however, Sudan has not followed up the agreement so far with concrete steps to deepen ties.
And formal ratification by elected institutions has still not taken place, with the country in the midst of a political doldrums.
The putsch also caused the economic sinking of Sudan, the international community having then interrupted its aid of two billion dollars a year, a precious windfall for this country, one of the poorest in the world.
According to the Sudanese Sovereign Council, chaired by General Burhane, the latter and Mr. Cohen discussed “ways to establish fruitful relations” and “possible projects of cooperation” in areas as varied as security, agriculture , energy, health, water and education.
“Israel will work after the signing [du traité de paix] to help Sudan’s development efforts in agriculture, water, medicine,” Mr. Cohen confirmed. “Signing a peace agreement will serve both countries, it will strengthen Israel’s national security, regional stability and help the economy. »
“We are putting an end to 75 years of hostility with Israel,” said Mr. Cohen.
In October 2021, from his very first speech, a few hours after his coup, General Burhane assured that his country would remain bound by the international agreements he had signed.
In November, he sent a message of congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who had just won the legislative elections with his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies.
Another African country, Chad inaugurated an embassy in Israel on Thursday, four years after the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two states.
Benyamin Netanyahu, who participated in the inauguration of the embassy in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, hailed “a historic moment”, according to his office.