Sudan: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported that two people have died and seven others have been injured in an attack on their humanitarian convoy in the capital of Sudan. The Red Cross added in a statement that three ICRC employees were among the injured.
“The humanitarian convoy, consisting of three ICRC vehicles and three buses, all clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, was due to evacuate over a hundred vulnerable civilians from Khartoum to Wad Madani when it came under attack upon entering the evacuation area,” as per the statement.
The ICRC expressed shock and disgust at the attack, which it claimed was intentional. It didn’t blame any particular group. Nevertheless, the army of Sudan claimed that the convoy had been fired upon for breaching an agreement by driving up to its defensive positions in a car “belonging to the rebels,” a reference to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The army reported that the ICRC convoy was pulling out civilians, including foreign nationals, from St. Mary’s Church in Khartoum.
“The humanitarian operation had been requested by and coordinated with the parties to the conflict, who gave their agreement and provided the necessary security guarantees,” the ICRC said.
The RSF declared in a different statement that the army was attacking the convoy. Both fatalities and injuries were reported as a consequence of the incident.
Despite multiple diplomatic attempts to put an end to the fighting, the army, and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict since April that has wreaked havoc on Khartoum and resulted in waves of ethnic killings in Darfur.
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