The Japanese government has decided to close the country’s embassy in Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) and the regular army, personnel were evacuated, and a temporary representative office was opened in Djibouti, according to a press release from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
⠀
“Due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation, the personnel of the Japanese Embassy in Sudan left the country with the cooperation of friendly countries and international organizations and were evacuated to Djibouti. For this reason, on April 24, the Japanese Embassy in Sudan was temporarily closed, and a temporary representative office was established in Djibouti to continue its activities,” the ministry’s document says.
⠀
Another press release also notes that on April 24, 45 people were evacuated from Sudan to Djibouti, including Japanese citizens and their families living in Sudan. Four more Japanese left Sudan on a French military plane.
⠀
“The Japanese government will continue to make every effort to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens living in Sudan and provide them with the necessary support,” the document says.
⠀
Fighting has been going on in Sudan since April 15 between the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) under the command of Mohammed Hamdan Daglo and the regular army. The opposing forces in Sudan are exchanging conflicting statements about military successes and control of facilities, launching a large-scale information war in the media and social networks. Last Friday, both sides announced a three-day truce on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
⠀
Sudan’s health minister said the death toll from clashes in the country has risen to 600. World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris said at a weekly UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that 413 people had died and 3,551 were injured. According to the Sudanese doctors’ union, 256 civilians have been killed and 1,454 injured since the clashes began.
