Saudi Arabia's cultural mission attacked in Sudan

Saudi Arabia has accused armed groups of attacking its cultural mission in Sudan's capital Khartoum and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.

“Property belonging to the cultural mission was looted and systems and services were disrupted,” the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The kingdom denounced the raid, which took place on Tuesday morning, and called on armed groups to respect its diplomatic missions.

It also renewed its calls for a halt to the military escalation between the warring paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, and said it was “providing the necessary protection for diplomats, residents and Sudanese citizens”.

Also on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke about “extending and expanding” the ceasefire in the North African country, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Although a US-Saudi brokered ceasefire has been in effect in the country, breaches continue to be reported, leading to a rise in civilian deaths.

“The Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed to continue close US-Egypt consultation regarding ongoing efforts to achieve a durable cessation of hostilities in Sudan,” the State Department said.

The state of Sudan's medical centres has been worsening every day since the start of hostilities, with the Doctors' Union saying that at least 70 per cent of hospitals in “conflict areas” had been put out of service.

Ambulances are being intercepted by the warring sides and prevented from reaching people in need, while blood banks and hospitals are being looted, the union said.

The union said all hospitals in Al Geneina city had been forced to shut down.

On Wednesday morning, the union put out an urgent message to help save people in need of kidney dialysis.

There are 12,000 patients with chronic kidney conditions undergoing periodic dialysis, “making the country need 140,000 washes per month”, it said.

“Immunosuppressant drugs for people with kidney transplants are also about to run out,” the union said, a situation it described as a disaster.

It also said lives would be lost if action was not taken to improve the situation within a week.

“We appeal to the international community and international organisations to save the lives of kidney failure patients urgently,” said the union.