Was the coup supported by Egypt?

The day before the army seized control in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah alBurhan discreetly flew to neighbouring Egypt where he was told that prime minister Abdalla Hamdok “has to go”, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Just before the coup, the director of the Egyptian intelligence service, Abbas Kamel, travelled to Khartoum to meet Burhan, but shunned Hamdok, it was reported.

“The feeling on the street is that the coup was orchestrated by Egypt,” says Sudanese businessman Mohamed Osman.

Many have likened the current takeover to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s military surge to power on the back of widespread popular protest against Egypt’s former Islamist regime.

The removal of a democratically elected government in Egypt was tolerated by the West and Sisi has since become a key partner in the region – a cautionary tale for stakeholders in Sudan’s democratic transition.

A potential reason behind Egyptian interference in Sudan is due to its stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which will dam the River Nile in Ethiopia before it runs through Sudan and Egypt. Hamdok, who previously worked in Ethiopia at the UN, was seen to be close to the government in Addis Ababa.

With Sudan diplomatically and geographically situated in between Egypt and Ethiopia, Cairo wanted a head of state in Khartoum who will apply more pressure on Addis Ababa over the dam, it has been reported.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE also have strong ties to Sudan’s military and they would have been in full support of the coup if it hadn’t been for US pressure, experts say. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) has for years been leasing troops from his Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen. The UAE is also a key export route for the illegal export of gold from Sudan, a multi-billion-dollar business that is allegedly connected to Sudan’s military.