US convoy attacked in Sudan, Blinken calls incident ‘reckless’, issues warning
Sudan Blinken
A United States diplomatic convoy came under fire as the power struggle between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues in Khartoum; the incident has sincebeen confirmed by Washington’s top diplomat. In a press conference, on Tuesday (April 18), the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the attack“reckless” and “irresponsible”.
What did Blinken say?
Washington’s top diplomat who is currently in the midst of attending the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations meeting in Japan also denounced “indiscriminate military operations” as the unrest in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum, enters its fourth day. “I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on,” said Blinken.
The attack took place on clearly marked embassy vehicles, on Monday, while preliminary reports suggest that the assailants were from the RSF, said the US’ top diplomat.
He also went on to say that the people in the diplomatic convoy were safe, adding, “We have deep concerns of course about the overall security environment as it affects civilians, as it affects diplomats, as it affects aid workers.”
Washington’s top diplomat warns Sudan
The incident has since prompted a direct warning from Blinken who called RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Speaking about the call, the US’ top diplomat said, “I made very clear that any attacks threats, dangerous posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable.”
So far, more than 200 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured since the fighting erupted, said the United Nations. The attack on the US convoy also comes after a European Union ambassador in Sudan was “assaulted” in his own residence, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter.
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He added, “Security of diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law.” The EU ambassador, in question, was veteran Irish diplomat Aidan O'Hara. However, an EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali told AFP that he was "OK" following the assault.
RSF’s response to Blinken’s call
The RSF leader, Dagalo while acknowledging the calls for a “temporary ceasefire” from friendly nations as well as after the conversation with Blinken, took to Twitter and wrote, “The RSF reaffirms its approval of a 24 HR armistice to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded.”
However, in subsequent tweets, he accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of failing to “honor this ceasefire, bombing densely populated areas from the air and endangering civilian lives. These actions are a flagrant violation of the foundations and principles of international and humanitarian law.”
Sudan’s military claims situation is ‘fully under control’
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Sudanese military, as per the state-run Sudan TV, claimed that the situation was under control.
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The broadcaster aired a phone call with Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah, where he claimed the situation was “fully under control,” on Tuesday.
He added that the Sudanese Military “don’t want to expand our operations at this step.” Abdullah also reportedly said that the army is “worried about our citizens being hurt or there being civilian victims because of this conflict”.
(With inputs from agencies)
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