KHARTOUM: The Embassy of Pakistan in Khartoum, Sudan, was hit by three bullets on Wednesday as the ongoing clashes between the Armed Forces of Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces continues with no signs of ending after five days.
In a statement, the embassy called the incident a “blatant violation” of the Vienna Convention, which states that the host government is responsible for providing security to diplomatic missions.
The embassy urged both parties to exercise restraint and called on the Sudanese government to immediately deploy security personnel for the protection of the embassy.
The embassy also advised all Pakistanis to stay at home and avoid unnecessary outings due to the deteriorating security situation.
There are approximately a thousand Pakistanis in Khartoum. Witnesses reported dead bodies in the street from fighting between the army and paramilitaries, with embassies saying that the clashes have killed more than 270 civilians.
Foreign diplomats have been attacked, and there have been reports of attacks and sexual violence against aid workers.
Fighting continues in Sudan
The Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries and the army said they would “completely commit to a complete ceasefire” for 24 hours from 1600 GMT, but shots were still heard throughout Khartoum at the appointed time, according to witnesses.
It was the second consecutive day that a proposed humanitarian truce failed to take hold, with both the RSF and the army blaming each other on Tuesday for breaking a South Sudan-brokered truce.
The violence between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup erupted on Saturday. Heavy gunfire and explosions have rattled buildings in Khartoum city as plumes of thick black smoke rose from buildings around the army headquarters.
Fightings have damaged commercial and residential buildings, and civilians sheltering in their homes are becoming increasingly desperate, with dwindling power outages, food supplies, and a lack of running water.
As governments started planning to evacuate their citizens, including many UN staff, the situation remained tense and unpredictable. The ongoing clashes have prompted concerns about the country’s fragile democratic transition, which began after the ousting of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
