US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the attack on a diplomatic convoy in Sudan on Monday “reckless” and “irresponsible,” blaming members of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Blinken personally phoned the RSF’s leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and the Sudanese army’s chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, following the occurrence to make it plain that any danger to American diplomats would not be accepted.
“I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on,” Blinken said at a news briefing in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, where he was attending a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting.
I made it plain that any threats or acts directed at our ambassador’s would not be allowed.
He assured them that everything was okay in the diplomatic caravan.
Clearly, he was concerned about the safety of citizens, diplomats, and humanitarian workers.
He said that the US was collaborating closely with the African Union and other international organizations to handle the issue in Sudan, which included the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.
Both sides in Sudan’s conflict have declared victory, and air strikes and artillery have killed at least 185 people and injured over 1,800 more.
Even while the US and other countries have called for a ceasefire, and Egypt and the UAE have attempted to persuade the adversaries to agree to a truce, bloodshed has continued.
