Sudan's SPA slams Israeli PM, ruling head meeting

KHARTOUM

The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), the main body organizing demonstrations in the country, on Wednesday slammed a recent meeting between the ruling council's chairman and the Israeli prime minister .

Commenting on Monday's meeting between Chairman of the Transitional Military Council Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan with Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda, the association said this was a "serious transgression" of Sudan's transitional authority and the constitution.

"We affirm our complete condemnation and categorical rejection of these practices and any outcomes that resulted from the meeting," the statement said.

It went on to say that the foreign policy and relations of the Sudanese state are within the jurisdiction of the executive authority which is represented by the Cabinet.

"The position of the Sudanese people and their historically stable state is not to deal or normalize with the Israeli entity in support of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights to build their full sovereign state," the statement says.

The Declaration of Freedom and Change -- a document endorsed by the people of Sudan which kickstarted the transitional government period -- maintains that foreign policy of the country will remain independent from interference of any foreign powers or axes, it added.

On Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said they had agreed to start cooperation to normalize ties between the two nations at the meeting.

Sudan’s transitional government said it was not informed of that meeting with Netanyahu and only came to know from the media. The Cabinet said it would await Burhan’s return for clarification.

Sudan has been embroiled in a political crisis since last April when longtime leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted.

The 76-year-old is serving a prison sentence for corruption, and is yet to face a host of charges against him including the 1989 coup that brought him to power and the 2019 crackdown that left scores of protesters dead and hundreds injured.

Since 2019, the country is being ruled by Transitional Military Council for three years until fresh elections are held.

The country has faced sporadic clashes as various groups flex their muscles to gain power in the volatile political environment.

*Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara