Sudan's conflict puts diplomatic missions in jeopardy

Diplomatic missions in Sudan on Wednesday called on rival forces to cease fire and observe obligations under international law to protect civilians, diplomats, and humanitarian actors following a days-long bloody power struggle across the country.

The missions included the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Delegation of the European Union.

In a joint statement, they urged the army and the most powerful paramilitary group to avoid further escalation and initiate talks to resolve outstanding issues.

Both sides agreed to a 24-hour pause in hostilities from 6.00 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, but firing continued unabated and the army and the RSF issued statements accusing each other of failing to respect the truce.

With Khartoum’s international airport closed and attacks in recent days on diplomats and other targets, including a US convoy of vehicles bearing American flags, evacuations look difficult without a sustained lull in fighting.

Violence erupted at the weekend in a power struggle between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army. At least 270 people have died and 2,600 have been injured, Sudan’s health ministry said, cited by the World Health Organization.

Even before the conflict, around a quarter of Sudan’s population was facing acute hunger. The World Food Program halted one of its largest global aid operations in the country on Saturday after three of its workers were killed.