A U.S. diplomatic convoy came under fire in Sudan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, amid days of intense fighting between two rival forces in the country.
“I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on. 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,” Blinken told reporters.
Blinken has repeatedly called for a ceasefire as Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan of Sudan’s armed forces battles for power with Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two generals are former allies who together orchestrated an October, 2021 military coup that derailed Sudan’s transition to democracy.
“In the calls that I had this morning with Generals Hemedti and Burhan, I made very clear that any attacks, threats, dangers posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable,” Blinken said, noting that the incident involving the U.S. Embassy convoy is still being investigated. “The initial reports that we have is that it was undertaken by forces associated with the RSF,” he said.
More than 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since fighting began Saturday, according to The Associated Press. Aid groups like the World Food Program and the International Rescue Committee have had to stop their work amid the fighting.
“That potentially has terrible consequences for the Sudanese people, who are in desperate need of the assistance provided by the World Food Program,” Blinken said.
The secretary also underscored his calls for a ceasefire, saying “indiscriminate military operations have resulted in significant civilian deaths and injuries, and are recklessly endangering the Sudanese people, diplomats including U.S. personnel, and humanitarian aid workers.”