Mossad chief met with his Sudanese counterpart in Munich, Sudan denies

In the past, Sudan maintained close ties with Iran and allowed it to transfer weapons to Gaza. Against this background, Israel attacked several times in Sudan in order to prevent arms shipments.

By YOSSI MELMAN
Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen met with his Sudanese counterpart Salah Gosh at the security conference in Munich two weeks ago, the London-based Middle East Eye reported, while the Sudanese intelligence denied the report.
The meeting was organized by Egypt, backed by Saudi Arabia. The pro-Qatari website claims that its goal was to discuss the appointment of an heir to Sudanese ruler Omar al-Bashir, but it is more likely that the purpose of the meeting was to examine the possibility of establishing ties between the two countries.
Sudanese intelligence denied the report in Middle East Eye about the alleged meeting at the Munich conference. "Sudan's position is strong with regard to the Zionist entity," read a rare statement by Sudanese intelligence. "Sudan is committed to the principled position on the Palestinian issue - which is the first and most important issue of the Arab and Islamic nation."
"The Sudanese intelligence policy is committed to the foreign policy of our country, which does not act contrary to this policy or in secret," the statement said. "These fabrications are part of an ongoing campaign of rumors aimed at getting Sudan to have diplomatic relations with the  occupying entity, contrary to the official position of our country, based on the values ​​of the people, and which supports the oppressed."
In the past, I reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his efforts to establish relations with the Sunni states, sought to visit Khartoum or allow El Al planes to fly over Sudanese territory.
In the past, Sudan maintained close ties with Iran and allowed it to transfer weapons to Gaza. Against this background, Israel attacked several times in Sudan in order to prevent arms shipments.
But a few years ago, Sudan changed its policy, joined the Sunni bloc and fought Saudi-inspired fighters in Yemen's civil war against the Houthis, who enjoy Iranian support. As part of this process, a poor Sudan received financial aid of several billion dollars.
The ruler of Sudan for the last thirty-four years has been General Omar al-Bashir, who has been accused of war crimes by the International Court of Justice in the Hague - for massacres, rape, burning of villages and genocide during the war in South Sudan and the Darfur region.
Recently, there have been increasing voices in Sudan demanding his resignation, and there have been reports that if the United States and Britain are willing not to prosecute him, he will agree to resign.
According to the report, one of the candidates to inherit him in such a case is the head of intelligence services for Ghosh.