Two Egyptian truck drivers were killed and a third injured on Monday after an armed man opened fire on them in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, while Sudanese authorities reported the arrest of a suspect following the incident. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it was following up on the incident and coordinating with Sudanese authorities over the injured man’s treatment and the return of the two victims’ bodies to Egypt.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry clarifies circumstances of shooting
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said an armed man targeted the Egyptian truck drivers with gunfire, killing two and injuring another. One account said the shooting took place inside a local market in Khartoum, while other accounts only identified the location as the Sudanese capital, without providing further details about the site.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty immediately instructed Egypt’s ambassador to Sudan to contact Sudanese authorities swiftly to establish the circumstances of the incident accurately. His instructions included checking on the injured Egyptian citizen’s health and stepping up coordination to take the necessary measures to transfer the two victims’ bodies to Egypt as soon as possible.
Egyptian ambassador’s efforts and arrest of suspect
Ambassador Nader Zaki, the official spokesman for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, said Cairo’s ambassador to Sudan, Yasser Sorour, had held what he described as immediate and intensive contacts with the relevant Sudanese authorities. He added that those authorities had informed the embassy that security forces had successfully arrested the suspect after the shooting.
The governor of Khartoum visited the site where condolences were being offered for the two victims, in an official visit that included checking on the health of the injured Egyptian citizen. The medical team overseeing his treatment said he urgently needed surgery, while the Egyptian embassy is following developments in his condition in coordination with the relevant medical and Sudanese authorities.
The incident comes amid exceptional security conditions in some areas and along major roads in Sudan. Despite the risks and tense conditions on the ground, Egyptian trucks and freight drivers continue to travel through the land crossings between Egypt and Sudan as part of the transport of supplies, aid and essential goods between the two countries.
Egyptian diplomatic and consular missions, in coordination with the relevant Sudanese authorities, are monitoring the situation of members of the Egyptian community and workers in Sudan’s road transport sector.
The monitoring focuses on providing the necessary protection, delivering medical and logistical support swiftly, dealing with emergencies and evacuating people when incidents or attacks occur, while procedures to return the two victims’ bodies are being completed.
