Ankara, May 7 (IANS) 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.
–IANS
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