US diplomatic convoy attacked in Sudan

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows destroyed airplanes in Khartoum International Airport Monday. Pic/AP

A U.S. Embassy convoy came under fire in Sudan, Washington's top diplomat said Tuesday as he stepped up efforts for a cease-fire between the country's two top generals. Still, forces of the two rivals pounded each other for a fourth day with heavy weapons in the capital of Khartoum. The attack on the convoy in Khartoum, along with an assault on the EU envoy's residence and the shelling of the Norwegian ambassador's home, signaled a further descent into chaos in the fighting.

Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces battle for control, with each general so far insisting he will crush the other. The convoy of clearly marked U.S. Embassy vehicles was attacked Monday, and preliminary reports link the assailants to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling Sudan's military, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters. Everyone in the convoy was safe, he said.

More than 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since fighting began Saturday, according to U.N. figures, which did not include a breakdown of civilians and combatants. The Sudan Doctors' Syndicate said Tuesday that at least 144 civilians were killed and more than 1,400 were wounded. The overall death toll could be much higher because clashes in Khartoum have prevented the removal of bodies in some areas.

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The State Department said late Monday that Blinken spoke by phone separately with the two rival generals - armed forces chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF leader Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. "I made very clear that any attacks or threats or dangers posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable," Blinken told reporters at the Group of Seven wealthy nations meeting in Japan on Tuesday,

He appealed for an immediate 24-hour cease-fire, as a foundation for a longer truce and a return to negotiations. Dagalo said in a series of tweets Tuesday that he had approved a 24-hour humanitarian truce after speaking to Blinken.

The military said in a statement that it was "not aware of any coordination with mediators" on a truce and that more troops would join the battle. The fighting, it said, "entered the decisive phase," and that the coming hours would see a "crushing defeat" of the RSF.

185
No of approximate people killed in the violence

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