Ankara: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has announced that Turkey has decided to relocate its embassy in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to Port Sudan, in response to an earlier incident where the Turkish ambassador’s vehicle was targeted by gunfire.
“For the safety of our embassy and our colleagues, we decided to move our embassy to Port Sudan,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the semi-official Anadolu Agency, Xinhua news agency reported.
Turkish Ambassador Ismail Cobanoglu had discussed the issue with both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and informed them about the relocation plans, the Turkish minister added.
The decision was made after the official vehicle of the Turkish ambassador was under gunfire hit on Saturday, while no one was wounded in the accident, and the vehicle sustained damage.
After the incident, the RSF and the Sudanese army exchanged accusations. The RSF claimed that the area where the attack occurred was under military control and reiterated its commitment to protecting diplomatic missions in the country. Conversely, the army attributed responsibility to the RSF for the assault.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: India has decided to temporarily relocate its embassy from the violence-hit Sudanese capital city of Khartoum to Port Sudan in view of the prevailing security situation in the African country.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said this on Tuesday.
“In view of the prevailing security situation in Sudan, including attacks in Khartoum city, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Khartoum will be temporarily relocated to Port Sudan,” it said.
“The situation will be assessed in the light of further developments,” the MEA said.
Port Sudan is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan. It is located at a distance of around 850 km from Khartoum.
India has been operating military aircraft and naval ships from Port Sudan to evacuate its citizens from the African country.
The Indian embassy in Khartoum is located just opposite to the airport in the city and that zone has seen a lot of fighting.
In the last few days, Indian officials worked round the clock to evacuate Indians, people familiar with the matter said.
No Indian official resides in the embassy complex. They were largely operating from their places of stay in view of the intense fighting.
Under “Operation Kaveri”, India has been taking its citizens in buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan, from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in the Indian Air Force’s heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy’s ships.
From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home in either commercial flights or the IAF’s aircraft. India has set up separate control rooms in Jeddah and Port Sudan.
“The Embassy may be approached at following numbers: +249 999163790; +249 119592986; +249 915028256 and E-mail: cons1.khartoum@mea.gov.in,” the MEA said in a statement.
The UAE has myriad interests before the U.S. government, including weapons acquisition, and more than a dozen firms actively registered with DOJ to represent government clients.
Otaiba said his favorite event to host is an interfaith Iftar dinner during Ramadan with Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists and others. Former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Special Olympics Chair Timothy Shriver have all attended the event, which started before the pandemic.
The dinner in late March drew a lineup of prominent Jewish movers and shakers: Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Biden antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt, Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog and Republican wordsmith Frank Luntz. The menu included salmon, saffron chicken, eggplant and beef kibbeh labanieh, and guests received a box of dates from the UAE as a party favor.
“Everybody leaves feeling good after that,” Otaiba said. “It’s about tolerance, it’s about inclusion, all of the values that we represent and stand for in the Emirates.”
Iftar dinners, however, are relatively mundane compared to many embassy shindigs. The French ambassador’s residence in recent years has held an Améthyste event, an homage to the purple stone. Washington bigwigs who attended last year included Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), senior White House officials Shalanda Young and Mitch Landrieu and Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The purpose is to bring together Democrats and Republicans, said a French official in Washington who was granted anonymity to discuss the thinking behind the event. But it also hasn’t hidden its connections to K Street influences. Heather Podesta, a mega-lobbyist who that quarter lobbied for companies including Toyota and SpaceX, co-hosted Améthyste in December.
“Any time you put Republicans, Democrats, the media, corporations, nonprofits, entertainment industry, and diplomatic corps in the same room, good things are going to happen,” Podesta said in a statement. “In a town that too often is bifurcated by party, we all need opportunities to know each other better.”
The event’s corporate sponsors included the South Korean conglomerate SK Group and the French investment firm Ardian, which is looking to invest in the U.S., said Steve Clemons, another co-host of the event whose day job is writing a newsletter for the media startup Semafor. Clemons, a familiar face to those operating at the nexus of journalism and the embassy party circuit, became a Chevalier in France’s Legion of Honor in 2021.
In a statement, Ardian did not comment on its involvement in the party. The party also featured Chevron-branded coasters for the energy company, another sponsor. SK Group did not provide a comment. Chevron spokesperson Bill Turenne said in a statement: “Like other brands and news organizations, Chevron is proud to support events in Washington, like Amethyste, that bring Republicans and Democrats together to benefit important charity partners.”
Though denizens of the embassy party circuit say corporate sponsorships date back a number of years, they have at least become more noticeable of late. As part of the festivities around the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner, the Swiss commodity company Mercuria is sponsoring Time Magazine’s after-party Saturday night at the Swiss ambassador’s residence.
A representative for Mercuria said in an email: “Mercuria is a Swiss company, so the company often sponsors events at the Swiss embassy. We also sponsor the Soiree Suisse at the Swiss Embassy with other Swiss companies each year.” Spokespeople for the Swiss embassy and Time either declined to comment or did not respond.
One Republican lobbyist said that a company with business with a foreign government or in a foreign country might sponsor an event as a means to build relationships. A defense contractor, for instance, might use the venue to schmooze with a diplomat from a country to whom it hopes to sell military equipment, the lobbyist said.
Alternatively, part of a government’s mission in the U.S. is often wooing companies to show that the country is “open for business” and encourage investment, the person noted.
Asked why more companies are sponsoring events at embassies, Gérard Araud, who was France’s ambassador to Washington from 2014 to 2019, said: “I think it’s money. I think it’s really the foreign ministries are all fighting under budget constraints.” He said that when he was ambassador, he had to get approval from the foreign affairs ministry in Paris for any proposed sponsorship of an embassy event.
POLITICO has partnered with embassies in the past, including hosting an event earlier this month at the home of the European Union ambassador. Thursday’s event took place at the home of Ambassador Karen Pierce.
“POLITICO proudly convenes high-level gatherings of influential people which is why we are so excited to partner with the British Embassy in April to showcase our reporting teams from both here and London for a fantastic audience,” said Brad Dayspring, executive vice president of global communications and brand at POLITICO. “More conversations are needed in Washington, not less, which is why our reporters and editors regularly attend events like these and why we prioritize hosting and connecting people at them.”
One of the quirkiest draws on the embassy party circuit is the Finnish Embassy’s long-running sauna series, which brings together journalists and Hill staffers for a long night of sauna time, conversation and Scandinavian food. The ambassador has his own sauna that he uses to have one-on-ones with top government officials and journalists.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Mumbai: Despite limited staff, the Indian embassy in Sudan operated round-the-clock to evacuate those stranded in the war-torn country, said some of the people who arrived in Mumbai from the African nation under ‘Operation Kaveri’ mission.
These passengers, who landed in Mumbai on Thursday, narrated their harrowing experiences of the last seven days. Abdul Kadir, a 39-year-old businessman, said after the situation in Khartoum worsened, India’s ambassador B S Mubarak and his team of eight officials worked tirelessly.
“With limited staff, they did unlimited work,” he said, adding that the Indian embassy was operating 24×7 during this period. Mubarak himself was stuck in the worst-affected part of the city, but he was continuously in touch with the staff and volunteers, he said.
The ambassador created WhatsApp groups of Indians in each locality and ensured that every person got help, Kadir added. Defence attache Gurpreet Singh took risk and brought Mubarak to a safe area, he said.
Kadir, who was living in Sudan since 2017, said they were used to the tense situation in the country, but this time things took a bad turn unexpectedly, though they were hoping that tensions would decrease in the holy month of Ramadan.
“Within one hour, the situation went out of control,” he said, adding that they did not get a chance even to buy food and groceries. “We got the benefit of being Indians. We were allowed to pass peacefully through numerous checkpoints,” Kadir said, adding that the Indian community at Port Sudan not only opened their homes but also their hearts for the rescued compatriots.
Another passenger said the situation was very bad, and the work done by the embassy staff could not be described in words. “I only pray to Allah that all our stranded brothers and those in the embassy reach home safely,” he added.
Many people were still waiting for their relatives to reach Mumbai from Sudan. Anita Pandey, a resident of Kalyan, was one of them.
Her husband had been working as a fitter in Khartoum for the last one year. “My husband’s friend told me that he has been rescued and is safe. I don’t know where he is at present, but we are waiting for his arrival….,” Pandey said.
In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist remaining Americans in Sudan “to the extent possible.”
He also called for the end to “unconscionable” violence there.
About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation. They airlifted all of roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. Ethiopia also provided overflight and refueling support, said Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
Biden said Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia also assisted with the evacuation.
“I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our Embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” Biden said in a statement. “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety.”
U.S. Africa Command and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley were in contact with both warring factions before and during the operation to ensure that U.S. forces would have safe passage to conduct the evacuation. However, John Bass, a U.S. undersecretary of state, denied claims by one faction, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Security Forces, that it assisted in the U.S. evacuation.
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire on our service members in the course of the operation,” Bass said.
Biden had ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation from his national security team, with no end in sight to the fighting.
“This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. It’s unconscionable and it must stop,” Biden said. “The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan.”
Sudan’s fighting broke out April 15 between two commanders who just 18 months earlier jointly orchestrated a military coup to derail the nation’s transition to democracy.
The ongoing power struggle now between the armed forces chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has millions of Sudanese cowering inside their homes, hiding from explosions, gunfire and looting.
The violence has included an unprovoked attack on an American diplomatic convoy and numerous incidents in which foreign diplomats and aid workers were killed, injured or assaulted.
An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan. The figure is rough because not all Americans register with embassy or say when they depart.
The embassy issued an alert earlier Saturday cautioning that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens.”
The U.S. evacuation planning for American employees of the embassy got underway in earnest on Monday after the embassy convoy was attacked in Khartoum. The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that U.S. troops were being moved to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti ahead of a possible evacuation.
Saudi Arabia announced the successful repatriation of some of its citizens on Saturday, sharing footage of Saudi nationals and other foreigners welcomed with chocolate and flowers as they stepped off an apparent evacuation ship at the Saudi port of Jeddah.
Embassy evacuations conducted by the U.S. military are relatively rare and usually take place only under extreme conditions.
When it orders an embassy to draw down staff or suspend operations, the State Department prefers to have its personnel leave on commercial transportation if that is an option.
When the embassy in Kyiv temporarily closed just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022, staffers used commercial transport to leave.
However, in several other recent cases, notably in Afghanistan in 2021, conditions made commercial departures impossible or extremely hazardous. U.S. troops accompanied personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, in an overland convoy to Tunisia when they evacuated in 2014.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
A Defense Department spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. was prepositioning troops, but stopped short of saying they were heading to Djibouti.
“The Department of Defense, through U.S. Africa Command, is monitoring the situation in Sudan and conducting prudent planning for various contingencies. As part of this, we are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances require it,” said DoD spokesperson Lt. Col. Garron Garn.
Some in the administration are hoping to avoid scenes reminiscent of the evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021. The crush of thousands pleading to leave the city as the Taliban took control became a defining image of America’s withdrawal.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, are worried about the safety of U.S. staffers in Khartoum.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said worried senators took a detour to a Capitol briefing Thursday on the document leaks to ask about the safety of U.S. personnel in Khartoum. Declining to provide specifics because of the classified setting, Kaine said there was a plan in place to take care of them.
“Arrangements have been made. They’re sheltering in place and currently all secure, all accounted for and in communication with them,” he said. “There’s a whole-of-government effort to figure out exactly how to make sure that they continue in safety. We’re very much on top of it.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), also on the committee, added “I, of course, have concerns about our personnel there.” He declined to discuss specific plans.
A military evacuation seems more likely by the hour.
The airport, located in central Khartoum, is closed but would be inoperable even if it reopened due to damage from bombardment and fighting. The roughly 70 U.S. staff at the embassy have no options to leave Sudan on their own without immense risk to their safety. For the most part, U.S. diplomats in Sudan are unaccompanied, meaning they do not have their family with them at what’s considered a challenging post, a State Department official said.
The American mission in the capital warned Thursday that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens.”
Also on Wednesday, Molly Phee, the top State Department official for African affairs, told congressional staffers that it was too late to order a departure of the mission because of the deteriorating security situation that has already led to around 300 deaths and about 3,000 more wounded, two congressional aides said.
Another U.S. official familiar with the planning said papers had been drawn up at the State Department for an evacuation order. The official added that State Department leadership held a call with embassy staff Thursday morning to discuss options, including a ground evacuation. But the assessment, per the official, was that travel by road was currently more dangerous than by air.
A potential option would be to move the personnel to Wadi Seidna Air Base for an air evacuation. Dozens of Egyptian soldiers captured by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group were released this week and flew home from that base, which is 14 miles north of Khartoum.
The United States was also in touch with other countries with embassies in the Sudanese capital about evacuation plans, a different U.S. official said.
The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Biden administration has faced similar situations multiple times since the chaotic Kabul evacuation.
As the situation deteriorated in Ethiopia amid a major conflict, the State Department urged Americans to leave the country while preparing U.S. forces and diplomats for a potential full embassy closure that ultimately did not have to happen. (A partial drawdown of non-emergency embassy personnel was ordered.)
The administration shut down the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in the days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Within months it had reopened the embassy, though not at full staffing.
The Biden administration in both cases said it would not stage another Kabul-style evacuation that involved people beyond U.S. government employees. To that end, it sent out warnings for weeks and months telling Americans to leave Ethiopia and Ukraine.
The political situation in Sudan has been volatile for years, and the State Department has long urged Americans not to travel there. The last time a similar fight broke out in the region between two top leaders, 400,000 people died — and that was in South Sudan.
Nahal Toosi and Joe Gould contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
New Delhi: As Sudanese capital Khartoum continued to witness large-scale violence, the Indian embassy in Sudan issued a fresh advisory on Monday urging Indians not to venture out of their residences and stay calm.
On Sunday, the embassy said an Indian national died in Khartoum after sustaining bullet injuries.
“Based on the latest inputs the fighting has not subsided on day two. We sincerely request all fellow Indians to continue to stay where they are and not venture outside,” the mission said in its second advisory after violence broke out in Khartoum.
Grieving the death of the Indian national, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the situation in Khartoum remains one of “great concern” and that India will continue to monitor the developments in that country.
Explosions and clashes were reported in various areas in Khartoum in the backdrop of escalating tension between a paramilitary force and Sudan’s Army.
On Saturday, the Indian embassy advised Indian nationals in Sudan to take utmost precautions and stay indoors after Khartoum witnessed large-scale violence.
According to the official data , the number of Indians in Sudan is around 4,000 including 1200 who have settled down in the country decades ago.
Sudan’s military captured power in a coup in October 2021 and it has been running the country through a sovereign council since then.
There has been a dispute between the Army and the para-military over a proposed timeline for handing over power to a civilian government.
New Delhi: The Indian embassy in Sudan on Saturday advised Indian nationals in the country to take utmost precautions and stay indoors after Sudanese capital Khartoum witnessed large-scale violence.
In a tweet, the mission also urged the Indians to stay calm and wait for updates. Explosions and clashes were reported in various areas in Khartoum in the backdrop of escalating tension between a paramilitary force and Sudan’s Army.
“Notice to all Indians. In view of reported firings and clashes, all Indians are advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and stop venturing outside with immediate effect. Please also stay calm and wait for updates,” the Indian mission tweeted.
The military captured power in a coup in October 2021 and it has been running the country through a sovereign council since then.
There has been a dispute between the Army and the paramilitary over a proposed timeline for handing over power to a civilian government.
According to the official data , the number of Indians in Sudan is around 4,000 including 1,200 who have settled down in the country decades ago.
Islamabad: Sweden has announced closing its embassy in Pakistan “indefinitely” due to the prevailing “security situation” in the crisis-hit country’s capital.
The embassy did not elaborate on the nature of the threat, but Pakistan’s political situation is getting worse amid growing tension between the government and the Supreme Court.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court was hearing a petition to annul a bill aiming at curbing the powers of the chief justice to form panels of his choice for different cases.
“Due to the current security situation in Islamabad, the Embassy of Sweden is closed for visitors. The Migration Section is not, at the moment, able to handle requests of any kind,” a notice on the embassy’s website reads.
“Also, we cannot send any documents to our consulates, Gerry s, or to your home address. We understand that this will cause inconvenience. However, the safety of our applicants and staff members is of the highest priority,” it said.
The notice also stated that any questions regarding the reopening of the mission cannot be answered at the moment.
Many believe the decision was linked to the recent incident of the burning of the Quran in Sweden.
A Danish-Swedish far-right extremist burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on January 21 under the protection of Swedish police, drawing condemnation from Muslims worldwide.
The political leaders of Pakistan, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ousted premier Imran Khan, had condemned the incident.
“No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden. The garb of the freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world. This is unacceptable,” Sharif had tweeted.
China temporarily closed down the consular section of its embassy in Pakistan in February due to “technical issues”, days after advising Chinese citizens in this country to be cautious due to the deteriorating security situation.
Riyadh: An Iranian delegation arrived on Wednesday, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as part of a plan to reopen Tehran’s embassy and diplomatic missions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani took to Twitter and wrote,” An Iranian technical team arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday noon in a new move & in line with implementing the agreement between the IR of Iran & Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties and political and consular activities in the two countries.”
He said the Iranian delegation will take necessary action in two working groups in Riyadh and Jeddah to launch the Embassy and Consulate General of Iran as well as the permanent diplomatic mission of the country at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that Iran will try to reopen and launch its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia before this year’s Hajj season.
🔽Iran’s FM Spokesman says an Iranian technical team arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday noon in a new move & in line with implementing the agreement between the IR of Iran & Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties and political and consular activities in the two countries. pic.twitter.com/1VvXEWbel4
It is the first official visit by Iranian officials to Saudi Arabia since the visit of officials of the Iranian Haj Agency to the Kingdom in December 2019.
On Saturday, April 8, a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran to discuss the implementation of reopening the Kingdom’s embassy and consulate in Iran.
The visit of the two delegations comes days after the second round hosted by Beijing in March between the Saudi and Iranian sides to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were severed since 2016.
On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of their diplomatic relations and the reopening of embassies within two months, following Chinese-sponsored talks in Beijing, according to a joint statement by the three countries.
