The European Union Ambassador to Sudan has been “assaulted” in his own home amid a third day of fighting, an EU representative has said.
Sudanese in the capital Khartoum and other cities huddled in their homes for a third day on Monday while the army and a powerful rival force battled in the streets for control of the country.
At least 185 people have been killed and over 1,800 wounded since the fighting erupted, UN envoy Volker Perthes told reporters. The two sides are using tanks, artillery and other heavy weapons in densely populated areas.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, tweeted on Monday evening that the EU ambassador to Sudan “was assaulted in his own residency,” without providing further details. He did not name him, but the ambassador is Aidan O’Hara, an Irish diplomat.
Mr Borrell added: “This constitues a gross violation of the Vienna Convention. Security of diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law.”
In an earlier tweet he said: “Civilians in Sudan urgently need a ceasefire in order to be safe and allow space for mediation. The EU is working to persuade each side to consider humanitarian pause and to encourage dialogue. Protection of civilians is an obligation under international humanitarian law.”
The sudden outbreak of violence over the weekend between the nation’s two top generals trapped millions of people in their homes or wherever they could find shelter, with supplies running low and several hospitals forced to shut down.
Top diplomats on four continents scrambled to broker a truce, and the UN Security Council was set to discuss the crisis.
In central Khartoum, gunfire erupted and white smoke rose near the main military headquarters, a major battle front.
Nearby, at least 88 students and staffers have been trapped in the engineering college library at Khartoum University since the start of fighting, one of the students said in a video posted online Monday.
Even in a country with a long history of military coups, the scenes of fighting in the capital and its adjoining city Omdurman across the Nile River were unprecedented.
The turmoil comes just days before Sudanese were to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.
The power struggle pits Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the commander of the armed forces, against Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group.
The former allies jointly orchestrated an October 2021 military coup. The violence has raised the specter of civil war just as Sudanese were trying to revive the drive for a democratic, civilian government after decades of military rule.
Heavy gunbattles raged in multiple parts of the capital and Omdurman, where the two sides have brought in tens of thousands of troops, positioning them in nearly every neighbourhood.
Twelve hospitals in the capital area have been “forcefully evacuated” and are “out of service” because of attacks or power outages, the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate said, out of a total of around 20 hospitals.
The military on Monday claimed to have secured the main television building in Omdurman, fending off the RSF after days of fighting.
State-run Sudan TV resumed broadcasting.On Sunday, the RSF said it abandoned its main barracks and base, in Omdurman, which the armed forces had pounded with airstrikes.
The military and RSF were also fighting in most major centers around the country, including in the western Darfur region and parts of the north and the east, by the borders with Egypt and Ethiopia.
Battles raged on Monday around a strategic airbase in Merowe, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) northwest of the capital, with both sides claiming control of the facility.
Only four years ago, Sudan inspired hope after a popular uprising helped depose long-time autocratic leader Omar al-Bashir.
But the turmoil since, especially the 2021 coup, has frustrated the democracy drive and wrecked the economy. A third of the population — around 16 million people — now depends on humanitarian assistance in the resource-rich nation, Africa’s third largest.
With the US, European Union, African and Arab nations all calling for an end to fighting, the UN Security Council was to discuss the developments in Sudan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was consulting with the Arab League, African Union and leaders in the region, urging anyone with influence to press for peace.
