Sudan Shuts Down its Cairo Embassy after Angry Protesters Storm it

Arab World

April 2nd, 7:34am

Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

Sudan has closed all airports, ports and land crossings. It has also declared a public health emergency. AFP

Sudan has indefinitely shut down its embassy in Cairo after it was stormed on Tuesday by Sudanese nationals who were left stranded in Egypt following a lockdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Sudan declared on Monday a state of health emergency and closed all airports, ports and land crossings over fears on the spread of the coronavirus. It only opened its main airport for 48 hours to enable the return of nationals from abroad. The decision excluded flights from Egypt, angering dozens of Sudanese, who protested outside their embassy in Cairo, demanding financial aid, Egyptian sources said. Charge d'Affairs at the Sudanese Embassy Khalid Ibrahim told Sudan News Agency, SUNA, in a phone call that the embassy was working on resolving the problems of members of the Sudanese community when some nationals exploited the situation by storming the mission and trying to set it ablaze. It was then that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry decided to shut it down, he said. Ibrahim affirmed the embassy's ongoing endeavors to solve the problem of almost 1,800 stranded Sudanese in southern Egypt’s As Sibaiyyah area. Khartoum has rejected to open the land crossing, stressing that it has provided its embassy in Cairo with funds to help those in need until the coronavirus crisis is over. The Sudanese embassy denied in a press statement on Wednesday any link to a donation campaign launched by organizations, institutions and individuals for nationals stranded in Egypt. Anyone who wishes to donate should contact embassy officials to receive a receipt from the Sudanese government, the embassy said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2212481/sudan-shuts-down-its-cairo-embassy-after-angry-protesters-storm-it