Saudi Arabia condemns attack, vandalism at its embassy in Sudan

ISTANBUL

Unknown armed men attacked and vandalized the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, where clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have raged for nearly two months, according to an official statement released in Riyadh on Thursday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strong condemnation of the storming and vandalism of the building of the Kingdom's embassy in Sudan and its attaches in addition to the destruction of the housing and property of Saudi employees.”

The ministry declared the Kingdom's "total rejection of all forms of violence and sabotage against diplomatic missions and representations."

It also stressed “the importance of confronting these armed groups that are trying to undermine the return of security and stability to Sudan and its people.”

The attack came a day after the Bahraini Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that an armed group had stormed and vandalized the country's embassy and ambassador's house in Khartoum.

Meanwhile, the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the Saudi and Bahrain embassies in a separate statement issued on Thursday, stressing "the need to provide protection for diplomatic missions and to prosecute the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also slammed the attack on the Saudi mission, denouncing "all forms of violence and vandalism, especially those targeting diplomatic missions.”

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the repeated targeting of diplomatic missions in Sudan.

Sudan has been in political turmoil for nearly two years, with recent months' disagreement between the two sides over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces — a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups — exacerbating the situation.

The recent violence has left at least 863 civilians dead and thousands wounded since April 15, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi