Pakistan embassy in Sudan comes under attack

KHARTOUM: Pakistan embassy in Sudan came under attack on Wednesday as fighting between the army and paramilitaries, which has killed around 200 people, raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed, ARY News reported.

In a Tweet, Pakistan embassy in Sudan stated that its office was hit by three bullets amid the clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RAF), “which causes loss to the Chancery building”.

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

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providing security to diplomatic missions. We urge the two parties to exercise constraint and request the government of Sudan to immediately deploy security personnel for the protection and security of Embassy of Pakistan. All Pakistanis are once again advised to stay

— Pakistan Embassy Sudan (@PakinSudan) April 19, 2023

The statement urged the two parties to exercise constraint and request the government of Sudan to immediately deploy security personnel for the protection and security of Embassy.

“All Pakistanis are once again advised to stay at homes and avoid unnecessary outgoings due to deteriorating security situation,” the statement concluded.

The violence erupted on Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

It followed a bitter dispute between them over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army — a key condition for a final deal aimed at restoring Sudan’s democratic transition.

‘Thousands flee capital’

Earlier in the day, it was reported that thousands of residents fled Sudan’s capital Wednesday as fighting between the army and paramilitaries raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed.

Loud explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in the capital on Wednesday morning, as witnesses said plumes of thick black smoke emanated from buildings around the army headquarters in central Khartoum.

RSF fighters atop armoured vehicles and pick-up trucks laden with heavy weapons and ammunition swarmed the streets, as the army’s fighter jets roared overhead and fired on RSF targets, the witnesses said.

Civilians huddled in their homes were becoming increasingly desperate, with dwindling food supplies, power outages, and a lack of running water.

Their hopes of being evacuated were dashed on Tuesday when a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire collapsed within minutes of its proposed start at 1600 GMT.