TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) – The State of Qatar strongly condemns the storming and vandalism of its embassy building in Khartoum.

It confirmed that the embassy staff had been evacuated previously and that none of the diplomats or embassy staff were subjected to any harm, The Peninsula reported. 

In a statement today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to spare the embassies, diplomatic missions, headquarters of international organizations and civilian facilities from the consequences of the fighting in Sudan, and to prosecute the perpetrators and hold them accountable for these heinous criminal act, which constitutes a violation of international law and agreements.

The Ministry reaffirmed the position of the State of Qatar calling for an immediate halt to the fighting in Sudan, exercising maximum restraint, resorting to the voice of reason, giving priority to the public interest, and sparing civilians the consequences of the fighting. 

It also expressed Qatar's aspiration for all parties to pursue dialogue and peaceful ways to overcome differences.

Earlier in May, Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Attache office in Sudan was looted and attacked, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said. 

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 (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (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 a unified armed force of Sudan, as well as who should become the commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is the option supported by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists.

On April 15, clashes between the two structures erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. 

SKH/PR