Friday, October 27, 2023

US Diplomatic Convoy Fired Upon in Sudan Conflict: Blinken

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned the firing of a US diplomatic convoy in Sudan on Monday, stating that it was “reckless, irresponsible and of course unsafe”. No one was hurt in the incident. The country has been gripped by days of deadly fighting between rival forces, with 185 people killed and over 1,800 injured according to the UN. The EU’s ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, was also assaulted at his home in the capital Khartoum, though he was not seriously hurt.

In response to the attack, Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin described O’Hara as an “outstanding Irish and European diplomat” and called for an “urgent cessation of violence in Sudan, and resumption of dialogue”. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that the security of diplomatic premises and staff was a “primary responsibility” of the Sudanese authorities.

The 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. He urged all Americans to treat the situation “with the utmost seriousness”. Residents of Khartoum have been sheltering from explosions as air strikes, shelling and heavy small-arms fire have been reported.

The conflict is between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group commanded by Sudan’s deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 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 regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) will send the presidents of South Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya to Sudan to try to broker peace. Igad’s executive secretary Nuur Mohamud Sheekh said that both leaders are agreeable to mediation, which is a “very positive development”. He added that the leaders are engaging with each other through back channel diplomacy in order to cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has strongly condemned the firing of a US diplomatic convoy in Sudan on Monday, calling it “reckless, irresponsible and of course unsafe”. The incident occurred amidst days of deadly fighting between rival forces in the country, resulting in 185 deaths and over 1,800 injuries according to UN reports.

The EU’s ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, was also assaulted at his home in the capital Khartoum but was not seriously hurt. Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin described O’Hara as an “outstanding Irish and European diplomat” and called for an “urgent cessation of violence in Sudan, and resumption of dialogue”. The US state department spokesman John Kirby said there were currently no plans to evacuate US personnel.

The conflict is between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group commanded by Sudan’s deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) will send the presidents of South Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya to Sudan to try to broker peace. Igad’s executive secretary Nuur Mohamud Sheekh said that both leaders are agreeable to mediation, which is a “very positive development”. He added that the leaders are engaging with each other through back channel diplomacy in order to cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table.

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