MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. The US embassy in Sudan is to blame for the crisis that has gripped the African country, a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS on Monday.
"Direct responsibility for what is happening lies with the US embassy in Khartoum and its 'accomplices' from other Western diplomatic missions," said the source.
He also said that Western diplomatic missions, using sanctions and access to financial aid as blackmail, forced the implementation of the framework political agreement.
"When things went sideways, they were the first to flee the Sudanese capital, leaving to chance the fate of any Sudanese that hold American and British passports," the person said.
The source said the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, led by Volker Perthes, has become a "compliant tool in the hands of US makers of destinies" as it’s stubbornly imposing on the Sudanese a non-inclusive political process aimed at "bringing a government to power that would be obedient to the West."
"Acting recklessly, fueling internal strife and creating an illusion of broad support for their ‘projects,’ the German and his Western partners have, in effect, caused the current escalation, without caring about its consequences," the source went on to say. "Now they are trying to feign concern and impartiality toward both opposing sides. Once again, as if nothing had happened, they offer their ‘good services’ to overcome the crisis and again, true to form, on their own terms. And they are making sure to shield Volker Perthes from any blame."
The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy on the council. The main points of contention between the two military organizations are related to the timeline and methods of forming unified armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should become the commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is an option supported by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists. On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. There have been several attempts to establish a ceasefire since then. According to the Sudanese Health Ministry, more than 3,000 people have been killed since the start of the hostilities, and about 6,000 people were injured.