Pakistani Embassy in Khartoum comes under fire amid Sudan unrest

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Pakistani Embassy in Khartoum came under fire on Wednesday amid clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the embassy said that it was hit by three bullets during the clashes.

“This is a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention as the Host Government is responsible for providing security to diplomatic missions,” the statement said.

The embassy called on Sudan’s conflicting parties “to exercise constraint” and requested the Sudanese government “to immediately deploy security personnel for the protection and security of Embassy of Pakistan.”

The embassy urged all Pakistani national in Sudan “to stay at homes and avoid unnecessary outgoings due to deteriorating security situation.”

Several foreign diplomats have come under attack in Sudan in recent days.

On Monday, the EU ambassador in Sudan, Aidan O'Hara, was assaulted at his residence in Khartoum. A US diplomatic convoy also came under fire in the same day.

And on Tuesday, Wim Fransen, head of the EU humanitarian operation in Sudan, was wounded by a gunshot in Sudan.

Fighting raged for the 5th day between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in Khartoum and its surrounding areas, leaving at least 270 dead and 2,600 others injured, according to the Health Ministry.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

A disagreement between the two military rivals regarding military and security reform, which envisages the full participation of the RSF 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar