US diplomats caught in crossfire as Sudan’s generals turn on each other
Joel Gehrke
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A convoy of American diplomats came under fire in Sudan during an eruption of violence between rival factions that have controlled the government since a 2021 coup.
“We had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters while traveling in Japan. “All of our people are safe and unharmed. But this action was reckless. It was irresponsible and, of course, unsafe — a diplomatic convoy with diplomatic plates, a U.S. flag, being fired upon.”
SUDAN’S ARMY AND RIVAL FORCE CLASH, WIDER CONFLICT FEARED
That incident marks at least the second act of violence against a Western diplomat since Saturday, when Sudanese Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan’s military forces came to blows with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. The two sides agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire after separate conversations with Blinken.
“I also underscored in both calls the responsibilities that Sudanese fighting forces bear for ensuring the safety and security of U.S. and other diplomats who are resident in Sudan, as well as for U.N. staff and other humanitarian partners,” he said. “If implemented successfully, a ceasefire for 24 hours can create a foundation to build upon for a more sustained halt to the fighting and a return to negotiations on a durable end to the hostilities.”
The warlords combined forces in 2021 to overthrow a coalition government tasked with overseeing a transition from dictatorship to a democratic system of governance. Their relationship soured amid disputes about the possible integration of Dagalo’s paramilitary fighters into Burhan’s regular forces. Those tensions culminated in a new conflict on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of at least 185 people and another 1,800 wounded, according to United Nations estimates released Sunday.
“To be very honest, as the two sides who are fighting are not giving us the impression that they want to mediation or peace between them right away,” U.N. Special Representative Volker Perthes told reporters in a Sunday briefing. “Rather, they are calling on the other side to give up or to surrender, or [for] the other side to be disbanded. So [that] doesn’t sound very much like preparedness to … allow mediation efforts to succeed on short notice.”
Perthes confirmed the deaths of “three colleagues from the World Food Program who have been killed while trying to serve the Sudanese people in north Darfur,” although he could not say which side was responsible. European Union Ambassador Aidan O’Hara, an Irish diplomat, also “was assaulted in his own residency,” EU High Representative Josep Borrell announced on Monday.
“Although not seriously hurt, this is a gross violation of obligations to protect diplomats under the Vienna Convention. Aidan is an outstanding Irish and European diplomat who is serving the EU under the most difficult circumstances,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin added. “We thank him for his service and call for an urgent cessation of violence in Sudan, and resumption of dialogue.”
Blinken tried to nurture the hope that such talks eventually could produce “civilian-led government in Sudan,” despite Burhan’s and Hemedti’s role in dismantling the previous transitional effort.
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“The people of Sudan have made clear their democratic aspirations. After months of talks, they were close to restoring a civilian-led government,” Blinken said. “But first things first. The imperative is getting quickly to a ceasefire so that the guns stop firing, people can move about safely, reunite with their families, get the assistance they need, and all of us can continue to engage in supporting Sudan as it makes its transition.”
Some Western diplomats acknowledged more pessimism. “This may only end when one of them wins this fight,” one senior envoy in Khartoum told the Irish Times.