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SUDAN FIGHTING: BLINKEN SAYS US DIPLOMATIC CONVOY FIRED UPON

Published
6 hours ago

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 * Sudan crisis

Image source, AFP
Image caption,
Fighting raged in Khartoum again on Monday
By Antoinette Radford
BBC News


A US diplomatic convoy came under fire in Sudan on Monday but nobody was hurt,
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

"This action was reckless, it was irresponsible and of course unsafe," he told
reporters in Japan after G7 talks.

Sudan has been gripped for days by deadly fighting between rival forces.

Earlier, it was reported that the EU's ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O'Hara, has
been assaulted at his home in the capital Khartoum.

Around 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured in three days of
fighting in Sudan, according to the UN. The city has seen air strikes, shelling
and heavy small-arms fire.

Both the army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
claim to control key sites in Khartoum, where residents have been sheltering
from explosions.



Mr O'Hara was not "seriously hurt", Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin
confirmed.

He described the attack as a "gross violation of obligations to protect
diplomats".

Mr Martin described the ambassador as an "outstanding Irish and European
diplomat who is serving the EU under the most difficult circumstances".

Image source, Facebook/European Union in Sudan
Image caption,
Aidan O'Hara became the EU ambassador to Sudan in 2022

"We thank him for his service and call for an urgent cessation of violence in
Sudan, and resumption of dialogue," he said.

Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that the security of
diplomatic premises and staff was a "primary responsibility" of the Sudanese
authorities.

EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali told AFP news agency the EU delegation had not
been evacuated from Khartoum following the attack. Staff security was the
priority and security measures were being assessed, she added.





SUDAN: THE BASICS

 * Sudan is in north-east Africa and has a history of instability: It fell under
   military rule in 2019, when long-time leader Omar al-Bashir was toppled
 * Since then, two men have been in charge: The head of the army and his deputy,
   who is also the head of a paramilitary group called the RSF
 * They disagree on how to restore civilian rule to Sudan: The RSF leader claims
   to represent marginalised groups against the country's elites but his forces
   were accused of ethnic cleansing




US state department spokesman John Kirby said there were currently no plans to
evacuate US personnel, despite ongoing security concerns and the closure of
Khartoum's airport but he urged all Americans to treat the situation "with the
utmost seriousness".

The conflict has forced many civilians to shelter in their homes amid fears of a
prolonged conflict that could land the country in deeper chaos.

On Monday, clouds of smoke were visible above Khartoum's main airport, with TV
showing images of fires and explosions. Army air strikes targeted RSF bases,
some of which are embedded in residential areas.

Hospitals were shelled, doctors say. Damage was reported at al-Shab Teaching
Hospital in Khartoum along with two other clinics.

The fighting is between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel
Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, a notorious paramilitary force commanded by
Sudan's deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

Hemedti said on Monday that the international community must intervene, and
branded Gen Burhan "a radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air".
Gen Burhan has said he is willing to negotiate.



The two sides held a brief ceasefire on Sunday to allow the wounded to be
evacuated, although it was not clear how strictly they had stuck to it.

The regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or Igad, will send the
presidents of South Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya to the country to try to broker
peace.

Igad's executive secretary, Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, told the BBC there were some
signs that progress could be made.

"They are preparing to travel to Sudan to meet with the two leaders but they are
engaging with them through back channel diplomacy, they are speaking to these
leaders to cease hostilities, to stop the fighting and return to the negotiating
table," he said.

"Both these leaders are agreeable to mediation, which by itself is a very
positive development over the last few hours. Our leaders have experience when
it comes to mediating in conflicts."




MORE ON SUDAN

 * The two generals fighting over Sudan's future
 * What is going on in Sudan? A simple guide
 * 'I thought we'd die' - Sudan patients cry for help

This video can not be played


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Media caption,

Watch: What's happened in Sudan since Saturday?

Additional reporting by George Wright and Patrick Jackson.



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RELATED TOPICS

 * Sudan crisis
 * Antony Blinken
 * Sudan
 * European Union
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