The European Union’s Ambassador to Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, was on Monday assaulted at his home in Khartoum, an episode that fellow diplomats have described as a “gross violation” of international law.
It comes in the midst of a resurgence of violence in the African nation, where the troops commanded by two rival generals, Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, are vying for power in a brutal standoff.
At least 185 people have been killed and over 1,800 wounded since the fighting erupted, according to the United Nations.
“A few hours ago, the EU Ambassador in Sudan was assaulted in his own residency,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, announced on Monday evening.
“This constitutes 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.”
The circumstances of the assault were not immediately clear.
A spokesperson of the European Commission later told the AFP news agency that O’Hara was “OK” and that the EU delegation in the country would not be evacuated.
Micheál Martin, Ireland’s fellow foreign affairs minister, described O’Hara as an “outstanding Irish diplomat serving (the) EU in difficult circumstances” and called for a cessation of hostilities.
His Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, said he was “outraged” by the attack and expressed his “full solidarity”.
“The Vienna Convention must be respected to ensure the safety of diplomats and allow them to carry out their work,” Hoekstra said, referring to the 1961 international treaty that defines diplomatic relations and establishes diplomatic premises are inviolable.
Latvia’s foreign affairs minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, called the episode “outrageous” while Austria’s ministry said “security needs to be restored immediately.”