Qatar embassy in Khartoum was attacked and vandalised yesterday amid fighting that has displaced over a million people in Sudan. The storming of embassies in any circumstances is a gross violation of the international law and the 1961 Vienna treaty. The State of Qatar has strongly condemned the attack by irregular armed forces in the capital calling for the prosecution of the perpetrators. Fortunately, the embassy was already been evacuated and no staff was harmed during the heinous attack.
In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stressed the need to respect international laws and spare embassies, diplomatic missions, headquarters of international organisations, and civilian facilities. Qatar has always advocated peace and restraint in any crisis, and once again the state reaffirmed its position which 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 from the consequences of the fighting. The ministry also expressed Qatar’s aspiration for all parties to pursue dialogue and peaceful ways to overcome differences. The attack on Qatar embassy was followed by a widespread condemnation with many countries denouncing the attack and calling to respect diplomatic missions in the country.
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) expressed strong condemnation and denunciation with GCC Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi reiterating the call to parties of the conflict to act quickly for stopping military operations, exercise maximum restraint, abstain from escalation, respect international agreements and diplomatic norms that guarantee sanctity and safety of diplomatic missions’ premises and their employees as well as to spare civilians effects of the conflict. He called on all parties to the conflict for serious engagement in the Jeddah talks.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry also decried the attack on the Qatari embassy building. In a statement, the Ministry affirmed utter rejection of all forms of violence and sabotage targeting offices of the diplomatic missions in Sudan. The Sultanate of Oman also condemned the attack with its Foreign Ministry affirming Oman’s stance of rejecting of all forms of violence and sabotage targeting diplomatic missions.
Besides attacks on diplomatic missions, the fight between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in a major humanitarian crisis in the country. With stocks of food, cash and essentials are rapidly dwindling there is a need to stop the battle and come to a dialogue in interest of people of Sudan who have suffered the most in this fighting that is now into its sixth week.
