Sudan condemns attack on Turkish envoy's vehicle in Khartoum

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudan on Sunday strongly condemned an attack this weekend on a Turkish diplomatic convoy in the capital Khartoum.

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

No casualties were reported and the source of the gunfire was not yet clear. The warring Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group blamed each other for the attack.

In a statement, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry accused the RSF of being responsible for the attack on the Turkish envoy’s vehicle.

“This deplorable act demonstrates the rebels' deliberate approach of targeting embassies, international organizations, and diplomatic staff,” the ministry said.

The ministry said Saturday’s attack “confirms the malicious intent of this insurgent force to assassinate the ambassador in cold blood.”

The ministry reiterated its commitment to the Vienna Convention on protecting diplomatic missions in the country.

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 over 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