Israel's Netanyahu meets UAE-backed Sudanese military chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan, launching official relations with Khartoum

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the chief of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Uganda on Monday evening. 

Burhan currently serves as the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, a transitional ruling body made up of civilian and military figures. 

Immediately after the meeting, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying: "It has been agreed to start a cooperation that will lead to normalising the ties between the countries."

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"Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that Sudan is moving in a positive direction, and the prime minister has expressed his outlook to the American secretary of state”, Netanyahu’s government added.

“The head of Sudan's Sovereignty Council is interested in helping his country go through a process of modernisation by taking it out of isolation and placing it on the map."

Burhan, who is often held accountable for a massacre of peaceful Sudanese protesters in June 2019, took a trip to Uganda specifically to meet Netanyahu, who is there for a day-long diplomatic visit.

The meeting between the two leaders lasted for two hours. 

According to an Israeli source, the burgeoning relations will most likely affect the route of flights from Israel and enable aircrafts to fly over Sudan.

Israeli sources have also hinted that formally normalising ties with Sudan Sudan will help Israel in its attempts to deport asylum seekers from the African country who are currently seeking refuge in Israel.