An Israeli official voiced indirect criticism over the US reaction to the apparent coup in Sudan after the special US special envoy to the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman called the military takover "utterly unacceptable" and threatened to cut off financial assistance to the country.
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The Israeli official told Israel Hayom that due to the current state of affairs in the African country, Israel should support the military and its head, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, rather than the prime minister,, Abdalla Hamdok, who has been arrested and taken to an undisclosed location.
The official said that "the coup was all but inevitable because the prime minister has been at odds with the military for several years and it was obvious that this would reach a decision point."
The official further said that the situation in Sudan "is very much like what Egypt experienced after former strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011, who had ruled the land of the pyramids for decades before stepping down during the popular uprising known as the Arab Spring.
"The country [Sudan] is not democratic as it was ruled for 30 years by the authoritarian regime of Omar al-Bashir. While we understand why the US would like to see the democratization of Sudan, between the two Sudanese leaders, it is Burhan who is more inclined to bolster ties with the US and Israel," the official said.
The official further added that "in light of the fact that the military is the stronger force in the country, and since Burhan is its commander in chief, the events of Monday night increase the likelihood of stability in Sudan, which has critical importance in the region, and it increases the chances of stronger ties with the US, the West, and Israel in particular."
Sudan has joined the Abraham Accords, a peace initiative that culminated with normalization processes between Israel and four Arab states. But unlike the other three countries, it has not taken concrete steps to establish official ties with the Jewish state or set up an embassy. This is partly because of the ongoing political strife there.
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