SpyTalk

Share this post

Israel’s Fingers in Sudan

www.spytalk.co

Israel’s Fingers in Sudan

Longtime Middle East hand Jonathan Broder picks through the history

Jonathan Broder
Nov 6, 2021
3
2
Share this post

Israel’s Fingers in Sudan

www.spytalk.co

Share

A report that Israel was “surprised” by the Oct. 25 military coup in Sudan doesn’t pass the smell test.  Israeli intrigues in Sudan, and East Africa as a whole,  go back decades.  

Not only was an Israeli delegation in Khartoum only days before the generals seized power, according to reports, but Israeli officials, including from Mossad, were back in the capital only days after the civilian government was toppled.  

Jerusalem likes these generals.  It was they who supported opening relations with Israel last year following the so-called Abraham Accords, not the country’s now-dethroned, pro-Palestinian civilian leaders. It makes you wonder what the real reason was for the Mossad’s visit—but not for long. The answer lies in a little context.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen with-Sudans Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Jan. 27, 2021. Credit: Nerizuki via Wikimedia Commons

All this prompted memories of my own time reporting from the region many decades ago, when I got to know Uganda’s crackpot dictator Idi Amin and first learned of Israel’s clandestine operations to help him and his murderous officers take power and hold onto it.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to SpyTalk to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2023 Jeff Stein
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing