MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Khartoum maintains constant contacts with Moscow regarding what is happening in Sudan, the country’s ambassador to Russia, Muhammad al-Ghazali al-Tijani Siraj, told the press conference on Thursday.
"I want to confirm that Russia is a friendly country for us. We are in constant contact. It is necessary for Russia to know in detail what is happening in Sudan," he said.
According to the ambassador, the Sudanese side has been in direct contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry since the beginning of the escalation of the situation in the country. "Last Saturday we were in direct contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry. I personally spoke by phone, as soon as these events began, with President's Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov and explained to him the nature of these events and how they are developing. The next day I met with him at the Foreign Ministry’s building and discussed in detail what is happening in Sudan," Siraj pointed out.
At the same time, the diplomat stressed that the Sudanese armed forces were doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties. "I presented to him [Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov] the official vision of the Sudanese government regarding the developing events. I assured him that our army is working professionally to avoid many casualties, especially since clashes are taking place in Khartoum, in the capital, and in other cities. So the Sudanese armed forces are trying to avoid damaging infrastructure and prevent civilian casualties," the ambassador said.
The situation in Sudan escalated due to disagreements between SAF commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council (the country’s governing body), and his deputy in the council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the Rapid Support Forces chief. On the morning of April 15, clashes broke out between the two groups near a military base in Merowe and in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 330 civilians have been killed and more than 3,000 were wonded since the beginning of the conflict in the country.