US to suspend operations at Khartoum embassy due to “specific” threat
By Mohamed Ali Saeed
KHARTOUM, Nov 10 (AFP) — The US embassy here Monday announced it would suspend operations for a week from November 12 due to a “specific” threat against American interests in the Sudanese capital.
The decision came after a housing compound was blown up Saturday night in Riyadh shortly after the US embassy there announced it was closing all diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia because of warnings of an imminent attack.
The US embassy in Sudan said it “will suspend normal operations as of November 12,” noting it would also be closed on Tuesday for the Veterans’ Day holiday in the United States.
“This action is the result of a credible and specific threat to US interests in Khartoum,” an embassy statement said, without elaborating.
The mission also advised US nationals to be cautious and avoid gatherings of foreigners.
“We urge all US citizens in Sudan to exercise extra caution and to avoid gatherings of foreigners that may attract outside attention,” said the embassy’s statement, again without elaborating.
“The embassy hopes to be able to resume normal operations next week,” it added, specifying that the Sudanese foreign ministry had been informed of its decision.
“The US embassy wishes to express its appreciation for the strategic support provided by the Sudanese authorities in confronting the present threat, ” the statement added.
The country’s interior minister later pledged that foreign embassies and foreigners residents “are secure against any security threats or dangers,” cited by the state SUNA news agency.
“Arrangements being taken by the interior ministry and other security organs, in addition to the values and ethics of the Sudanese people, all constitute a strong guarantee for preventing any terrorist attack,” he said.
However, he said the government would “leave it to the discretion of the US embassy to take whatever action it deems necessary for the interests of its staff and its nationals.”
It was not clear if the suspension order was linked to a statement that the US embassy in Khartoum issued November 1 warning its citizens to proceed with caution in Sudan.
“In light of recent statements from some of Sudan’s hardline factions of frustration with America’s role in the peace process, the American embassy feels it is prudent to advise the American community once again of the constant requirement to exercise due diligence and caution,” that statement said.
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party said October 22 it rejected a demand reported to have been made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell for the Khartoum offices of the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad to be closed.
The decision to suspend operations in Khartoum followed a suicide car bombing that blew up a housing compound in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday night, killing 17 people and wounding 120 others.
A Saudi official blamed the bombing on the al-Qaeda network of Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, who lived in Sudan in 1992 before the authorities asked him to leave the country four years later.
Bin Laden left for Afghanistan, where US-forces launched a war to uproot him and his organization after blaming them for the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir’s government has been trying to shed its Islamic militant image and improve relations with Washington, which since 1993 has maintained Khartoum on a list of states alleged to support terrorism.