Monday June 12, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Armed men raided the Somali Embassy in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, on Monday, making the second instance of Somali properties being looted in Sudan since the fighting broke out in April between Sudan's military and the country's main paramilitary force.
Somali Ambassador to Sudan, Mohamed Sheikh Isaq, revealed that the unidentified militias looted his residence in Khartoum, taking vehicles and other belongings belonging to the Somali Embassy.
"I condemn the barbaric act of looting. This act was carried out by an armed militia that does not respect the rules and sanctity of diplomatic centers."
Last month, the Somali government reported a similar incident in which armed forces entered the embassy building and looted properties and equipment.
The location of Somali Embassy in Khartoum also houses the embassies of Kenya, Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Libya, and Eritrea. There is no immediate claim, and the Somali government has not blamed any group.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) have safely evacuated 282 Somali citizens fleeing military infighting in Sudan. The safe return conducted between 30 April and 3 May, involved a combination of inland transportation and four charter flights.
Fighting has resumed with renewed intensity following a brief period of respite on Saturday, the quietest since Sudan broke out into conflict nearly eight weeks ago when a rivalry between the army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exploded into open warfare.
Within 30 minutes of the ceasefire ending on Sunday morning, air raids, artillery shelling and machine guns could be heard pounding several parts of the country, according to Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from Sudan.
More than 1.4 million people have been displaced within Sudan and a further 476,800 have fled to neighbouring countries, most of whom are already struggling with poverty and internal conflict, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration.