UPDATE – Qatar Condemns Storming Of Its Embassy In Sudan

Qatar on Saturday condemned the storming and vandalism of its embassy in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, amid clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that the embassy building was stormed by irregular armed forces.

"The embassy staff had previously been evacuated and that none of the diplomats or embassy staff were subjected to any harm," it added.

The ministry underlined the need to spare embassies, diplomatic missions, headquarters of international organizations, and civilian facilities the consequences of the fighting in Sudan.

It also called for "prosecuting the perpetrators and holding them accountable for the consequences of this heinous criminal act, which constitutes a violation of international law and agreements."

The ministry renewed calls for "an immediate halt to the fighting in Sudan, exercising maximum restraint, resorting to the voice of reason, giving priority to the public interest, and sparing civilians the consequences of the fighting."

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry, for its part, blamed the RSF for the attack.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the attack by the rebellious RSF militia on the Qatari embassy headquarters" the ministry said in a statement.

"We renew our denunciation of the terrorist behavior of the rebel militia forces," it said, calling on the international community to label the RSF as a terrorist organization.

There was no comment from the paramilitary group on the accusation.

At least 850 civilians have been killed and over 3,300 others injured in the fighting between the army and the RSF since April 15, according to local medics.

After their first face-to-face talks in Saudi Arabia, the Sudanese army and the RSF signed on May 11 a declaration of commitment to protect civilians in Sudan. Despite the agreement, clashes continued between the two military rivals, particularly in the capital Khartoum.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group's integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi -