Sudan’s rivals trade accusations over attack on Turkish convoy

ANKARA (AA) – The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on Saturday exchanged accusations over an attack on a diplomatic Turkish convoy on Saturday.

The official vehicle of Turkish Ambassador to Sudan Ismail Cobanoglu was hit by gunfire in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

No casualties were reported and the source of the gunfire was not yet clear.

In a statement, the RSF accused the army of opening fire on the Turkish ambassador’s vehicle.

“This most recent attack is yet another blatant violation of international norms and agreements protecting diplomatic missions by the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces),” the paramilitary group said.

“The shooting occurred despite prior coordination regarding evacuation efforts and the fact that the embassy premises are under the control of the SAF,” it added.

The RSF said that its forces had managed to successfully evacuate the Turkish ambassador and his delegation to safety.

But the Sudanese army denied the accusation, saying the RSF was responsible for the attack.

“The RSF militia fired on the Turkish ambassador's car and held him,” the army said in a statement.

“The RSF is using its media to claim that the armed forces had carried out the attack, but it forgot that the ambassador is there and can simply explain what happened,” the statement added.

More than 550 people have been killed and thousands injured in fighting between two rival generals – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo – since April 15.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides concerning the integration of the RSF into the armed forces — a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 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."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi