Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Sudan’s leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, while the two were in Uganda on Monday.
During the meeting, which was held at the residence of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the two leaders agreed to gradually normalize ties.
The announcement is a major milestone for Israel and its efforts to expand ties in Africa.
Sudan, which is an Arab-Muslim-majority country that borders Egypt to the south, has long been viewed as a hostile nation towards the Jewish state. However, long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir, who the international community regards as a war criminal for his role in the Darfur genocide, was ousted last year, and it appears that the country is seeking modernize, end its international isolation, and establish friendlier ties with foes such as Israel and the United States.
Currently, Sudan is without a president; Burhan heads a transitional 11-person government in Sudan. Democratic elections are scheduled for 2022.
Ahead of his trip on Sunday, Netanyahu spoke of the importance of Africa. Netanyahu has visited the continent five times in the last four years; in 2019, he struck a deal to re-establish ties with Chad, another Muslim-majority central African nation.
“Israel is returning to Africa in a big way; Africa already returned to Israel,” he said. “These are very important ties for diplomacy, for the economy, for security, and more will be revealed.”