US says diplomatic convoy in Sudan came under fire, no one harmed

ANKARA

A US diplomatic convoy came under fire in Sudan amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), the US secretary of state said Tuesday.

"I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on," said Antony Blinken, who is currently in Japan for a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers.

The attack, which is being investigated, was "reckless, irresponsible and unsafe," he said, adding that "all of our people are safe and unharmed."

Blinken said initial reports indicate that the attack was carried out by fighters associated with RSF.

On Monday, the EU ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O'Hara, was assaulted at his residence in the capital Khartoum.

The Sudanese army and RSF blamed each other for Monday’s attacks.

Early on Tuesday, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said he had a phone call with Blinken in which they discussed “pressing issues in Sudan.”

"Honored to have a vital conversation with US Secretary of State, Mr. Antony Blinken. We discussed pressing issues in Sudan and our shared dedication to freedom, justice, and democracy for our people," Hemedti said in a statement.

On Monday, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby called on Sudan’s warring parties to "end hostilities immediately without preconditions."

180 killed in 4 days

Armed clashes continued on Monday for the fourth day between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in Khartoum and its surrounding areas.

More than 180 people have been killed and 1,800 others injured in the ongoing violence, according to UN figures.

A disagreement between the two military rivals regarding military and security reform, which envisages the RSF’s full participation in the army, has turned into a hot conflict in the last few months.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface last week, when the army said recent movements by the RSF had occurred without coordination and were illegal.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.