Khartoum fighting: EU alarm after ambassador 'assaulted' in home in Sudan

US convoy fired upon on same day as attack on European diplomat

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Top EU and US officials have expressed alarm after high-profile diplomats were attacked in Sudan amid clashes between rival generals that have killed almost 200 people.

On Monday, the EU's ambassador to Sudan was assaulted in his Khartoum home, according to senior European diplomat Josep Borrell.

And on the same day, a US diplomatic convoy was fired upon in Sudan — an attack described by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as "reckless" and "irresponsible".

Aidan O'Hara was appointed ambassador to Sudan by the EU last year.

"This constitutes a gross violation of the Vienna Convention," Mr Borrell, the EU's foreign affairs and security policy chief, wrote on Twitter.

EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali later told AFP the 58-year-old Irish diplomat was "OK".

The EU delegation has not been evacuated from Khartoum after the attack, she said.

Those inside the US convoy that was fired on were unharmed, Mr Blinken said.

"Yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on," he told reporters in Japan after G7 talks.

"All of our people are safe and unharmed. But this action was reckless, it was irresponsible and of course unsafe."

Tuesday marked the fourth day of what is effectively the latest in Sudan’s seemingly endless civil wars since independence in 1956.

Khartoum, a city of nearly seven million, has never witnessed violence of the magnitude seen since Saturday.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again called on Sudan's warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities".

He warned that further escalation "could be devastating for the country and the region".

Air strikes, artillery shelling and heavy gunfire are continuing in civilian neighbourhoods.

'End hostilities'

At the heart of the differences between army chief and military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo now is the RSF’s full integration into the armed forces, which Gen Al Burhan has recently taken to insisting on as a precondition for signing a deal to end Sudan’s political crisis.

G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday urged the warring forces in Sudan to "end hostilities immediately" and return to negotiations.

"We urge the parties to end hostilities immediately without pre-conditions," the ministers said in a statement issued after two days of talks in Japan.

Smoke billows above Khartoum's international airport amid fighting between the forces of two rival generals in Sudan. AFP

People carry Othman Mohamed, a senior military officer loyal to army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

Residential buildings damaged in the fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. AP Photo

People cheer with Sudanese army soldiers manning a position in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

People queue for water in Khartoum. The fighting has resulted in food and water shortages. Reuters

Black smoke covering the sky above the capital, Khartoum. AFP

Vehicles destroyed during fighting in southern Khartoum. AFP

People head for the station to flee Khartoum during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army. Reuters

Smoke and fire rise from an apartment building, after a shell hit the complex in Khartoum. Reuters

Heavy fighting has broken out across the country. AFP

A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

A destroyed vehicle of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in southern Khartoum. AFP

A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

People gather at a bus station to escape Khartoum. Reuters

People leave their homes amid the fighting. AFP

People look for drinking water in Khartoum, Sudan. Faiz Abubakr for The National

A building burns at Merowe Airport in Sudan. AFP

A man holds two bullets that hit his home. Faiz Abubakr for The National

People gather for a meal to break their fast during Ramadan in Port Sudan. AFP

Satellite image shows a close-up view of destroyed helicopters in South Khartoum. Reuters

The Port Sudan branch of the Central Bank of Sudan. AFP

A hole from an explosion on the side of a building in Khartoum, after fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces led by rival generals. AFP

People queue for bread outside a bakery amid a food crisis in Khartoum. AFP

Smoke rises above Khartoum. Faiz Abubakr / The National

Fearful families try to shelter from the fighting in houses in Khartoum. Faiz Abubakr / The National

A deserted avenue in Khartoum as residents fear to go out due to intense fighting. AP

A Sudanese army tank in a street in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

Houses have been severely damanged during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army. Reuters

Satellite images show a destroyed Ukrainian plane at Khartoum International Airport. Reuters

Market stalls abandoned in south Khartoum as fighting in the Sudanese capital rages for a third day. AFP

Smoke rises over buildings during clashes. Reuters

Damage at the Communications Authority Building. Reuters

People queue for bread outside a bakery amid a food crisis. AFP

Destroyed fuel trucks at a depot in Khartoum. Reuters

Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

Smoke rises from a fire on the tarmac of Khartoum International Airport in Sudan as fighting between the government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues. Reuters

Abdalla Hamdok, former prime minister of Sudan, addresses the current crisis and violence on the streets of his homeland at a news conference in Abu Dhabi. Reuters

Burning planes at Khartoum International Airport. EPA

Damage and a fire on the Kobar Bridge in Khartoum. AFP

Heavy smoke billows above Khartoum International Airport. AFP

Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum, as fighting in Sudan raged for a second day. AFP

A military vehicle patrols the streets as the fighting continues. AFP

Smoke rises over the city. Reuters

Thick smoke rises above buildings near the airport amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. AFP

Explosions rock the Sudanese capital as paramilitary fighters and the regular army attack each other's bases. AFP

The fighting has raised fears of a wider conflict in the country. AP

Government soldiers stationed on a key road in Khartoum. AFP

The fighting comes days after the army warned the country was at a 'dangerous' turning point. AP

People walk past a military vehicle in Khartoum. AFP

"We call on all actors to renounce violence, return to negotiations, and take active steps to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians, including diplomatic and humanitarian personnel."

Gen Dagalo spoke with Mr Blinken on the phone and "discussed pressing issues".

"We will have another call to continuing dialogue and working hand-in-hand to forge a brighter future for our nations," Gen Dagalo said in a post on Twitter.

Gen Dagalo's whereabouts have not been disclosed since Saturday when fighting erupted between the RSF and Sudan's army, Reuters reported.

Mr Blinken spoke separately to Gen Al Burhan, according to the State Department.

Mr Blinken expressed his grave concern about the death and injury of so many Sudanese civilians due to the sustained, indiscriminate fighting, and stressed the responsibility of the two generals to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians, diplomatic personnel, and humanitarian workers, spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.

The fighting is playing out in the wider context of months-long, internationally-sponsored efforts to end Sudan’s political crisis.

The deal’s blueprint provides for the military to quit politics, the RSF to be integrated into the armed forces and for a civilian prime minister to steer the country for two years until elections are held.