Antony Blinken says US diplomatic convoy fired upon in Sudan as fighting rages

At least 185 killed and thousands injured in conflict that could spiral into a civil war

Smoke rises over buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan on 17 April (REUTERS)

A US diplomatic convoy in Sudan was fired upon in a “reckless” and “irresponsible” action, according to secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The Sudanese army and a powerful rival force have been engaged in an all-out power struggle for four days now in what could bring the North African country on the verge of a full-blown civil war.

The two sides have used fighter jets, tanks, artillery and other heavy weaponry to fight each other in a conflict that has led to 185 deaths and 1,800 injuries, UN envoy Volker Perthes told reporters. The death toll could be greater, officials have warned.

On Monday, EU ambassador to Sudan Aidan O’Hara was attacked in his home in the capital Khartoum, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

“A few hours ago, the EU Ambassador in Sudan was assaulted in his own residency,” Mr Borrell tweeted, without saying if the envoy was injured.

A day later, Mr Blinken said a convoy belonging to the US was attacked.

The vehicles of the US diplomatic mission in Sudan had a clear distinction with diplomatic license plates and a US flag, he said on Tuesday during a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in the Japanese mountain resort of Karuizawa.

“This action was reckless, it was irresponsible and of course unsafe,” he said.

He said all the people in the group were safe and raised Washington’s concerns about the overall situation in Sudan. Mr Blinken said he made it clear to the factions on both sides that any attacks on US diplomats would be unacceptable.

The clashes had erupted on Saturday between the country’s military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

The military leader said the RSF general is leading “an attempted coup and rebellion against the state” while Mr Dagalo accused the army of violating an UN-brokered temporary humanitarian ceasefire.

The two were former allies and had jointly orchestrated an October 2021 military coup.

Mr Blinken had separate phone calls with Mr Burhan and Mr Dagalo, calling the two warring former allies to reach a ceasefire immediately, according to US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.

He said indiscriminate military operations are “recklessly endangering civilians, diplomats, including US personnel, and humanitarian personnel”.

He said the preliminary reports on the attack on the US diplomatic convoy indicated the attackers were linked to the RSF.