US Secretary of State Antony Blanken has described as “reckless” and “irresponsible” the attack on a US diplomatic convoy in Sudan on Monday by fighters apparently affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). .
Blankenship issued a direct warning on Tuesday following the incident, according to Reuters.
He separately telephoned RSF commander Gen. Muhammad Hamdan Daqloo, known as Hamidati, and Sudan’s army chief, Gen. Abdul Fateh al-Barhan, and told them that any threat to American diplomats was unacceptable.
“We are deeply concerned about the overall security situation,” the US secretary of state, who is in Japan to attend the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting, said at a press conference.
At least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured in the ongoing fighting in Sudan. The warring sides have claimed victory in a battle that saw the use of airstrikes and artillery.
Clashes continue despite efforts by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to persuade the rivals to a cease-fire, including multiple calls from the United States and other countries to end the fighting.
According to the French news agency AFP, the seven foreign ministers urged the warring forces in Sudan to immediately stop fighting and start negotiations after days of fighting.
A week-long power struggle in the North African country erupted into deadly violence on Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup.
Army chief Abdul Fateh al-Barhan is fighting with his deputy Muhammad Hamdan Daqloo, who is the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
According to a statement by G7 foreign ministers in Japan: ‘We urge the parties to immediately end hostilities without preconditions.’
The foreign ministers warned that the fighting has threatened the security and safety of Sudanese citizens and is undermining the process of restoring democratic governance in Sudan.
On this occasion, US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said that he has spoken to the two warring generals of Sudan on the phone and emphasized the need for an immediate war.
“Too many civilian lives have already been lost,” Blanken said in his tweet.
He added that he stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of diplomatic staff and aid workers.
After the phone call from the US Secretary of State, General Daqloo said in a tweet that the two discussed important issues in Sudan. He further said that he is grateful for the American commitment to restore stability in Sudan.
Analysts say that despite regional and global calls for a ceasefire as diplomats mobilize, the fighting in the capital is unprecedented and could be protracted.
The sprawling country has seen several battles and threatened to spill over into the region, which has seen airstrikes, artillery and heavy shelling.
Terrified residents of Khartoum are spending the last ten days of Ramadan watching from their windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake and smoke from fighting fires billows into the air.
At least 185 Sudanese civilians have been killed and 1,800 injured, the head of the UN mission in Sudan, Falker Perth, told the Security Council in a closed-door meeting on Monday.
“The situation is very delicate, so it is very difficult to say which way the balance is shifting,” he told reporters after the meeting.
2023-04-18 07:39:17
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