US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar condemn mosque attack in Sudan

Khartoum [Sudan] September 21 (ANI): The United States, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have condemned the drone strike on a mosque in El Fasher, North Darfur, that killed more than 70 worshippers during Friday prayers.

The attack was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to Al Jazeera.

In a press statement, Massad Boulos, the US Presidential Advisor for Africa and Middle East Affairs, said the United States “strongly condemns the horrific attack on worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at a mosque in El Fasher, North Darfur, which tragically claimed the lives of more than 75 people.”

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the strike as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

It said the Kingdom rejects attacks on civilians and called for an immediate end to the war in Sudan. “The Kingdom affirms its rejection of such attacks against civilians and calls for an immediate end to war in Sudan, to spare Sudan and its people further suffering and destruction. It stresses the need to provide protection for civilians and to implement what was agreed upon in the Jeddah Declaration (Commitment to Protect Civilians in Sudan) on May 11, 2023,” the statement read.

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The ministry also conveyed condolences to the families of the victims.

Qatar too denounced the mosque strike. “The state of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the attack that targeted a mosque in the city of El Fashir in the sisterly Republic of Sudan, which resulted in deaths and injuries,” its foreign ministry said.

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It added that the bombing was a violation of international humanitarian law and reiterated its “firm stance against violence, terrorism and criminal acts, regardless of their motives and causes.”

The Sudanese army’s Sixth Infantry Division in El Fasher said the RSF militia “committed a horrific crime by striking worshippers at Al-Safiya Mosque during Friday morning prayers with a drone.” It said the attack led to “the martyrdom of more than 75 citizens,” including displaced people.

El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, has been under siege by the RSF since the early days of the conflict, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI)

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