Ambassador: Sudanese Leaders Not Seeking Political Asylum in Russia
16:48 20.04.2023 (Updated: 17:44 27.04.2023)
© AP Photo / Marwan Ali
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Representatives of the Sudanese authorities have not asked for political asylum in Russia despite clashes between the armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese Ambassador to Russia Mohamed Sirraj said on Thursday.
"No, I have no information about such requests," Sirraj said during a press conference arranged by the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
The ambassador said that he maintains permanent contact with the Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov.
"Russia is a friendly country to us so we have been in direct contact with [the] Russian Foreign Ministry since the very beginning of those events last Saturday," Sirraj said.
The diplomat added that the Sudanese authorities will provide the necessary help in line with international law if evacuation of Russian diplomats from Sudan becomes necessary.
"In accordance with its commitment to international law and under [the] Vienna Convention, [the] Sudanese government will provide maximum support for conducting any necessary evacuation," Sirraj added.
Sudan's ambassador to Russia also said that Sudan's embassies around the world report to the head of the transitional council and that there is no dual power in the country.
"Other than the Foreign Ministry of Sudan, there is no Sudanese entity that maintains contact with Sudanese embassies abroad. The Foreign Ministry is the only organization that contacts Sudanese embassies worldwide," Sirraj said.
Moreover, Sirraj stated that the Sudanese Armed Forces are capable of getting the situation in the country under control, and the current developments are Sudan's internal affair.
"I would like to confirm what the Sudanese Foreign Ministry has said in a statement - that the current developments in Sudan are our internal matter. The Sudanese military has the domain and the task to get the situation under control," the diplomat said, in response to a question asking if the country needed external help.
Violent clashes between the Sudanese regular army and the RSF broke out on Saturday, with the epicenter in Khartoum. Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Later that day, Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, issued a decree disbanding the RSF. On Tuesday, the parties agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire beginning at 6 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT). On Wednesday, the parties announced another 24-hour truce.
Earlier in the day, the World Health Organization said it estimated that around 330 people have been killed since the beginning of clashes on Saturday and a further 3,200 have been injured.
