A Sudanese protester stands on a barricade during a demonstration in Khartoum, Sudan, on Friday, Sept. 14 as part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Germany's Foreign Minister says the country's embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum has been stormed by protesters and set partially on fire. Minister Guido Westerwelle told reporters that the demonstrators are apparently protesting against an anti-Islam film produced in the United States that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.(Associated Press)
Sudan balks at Marine troop mission
Last Modified: Sunday, September 16, 2012 7:31 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Objections by Sudan's government have held up the security mission of an elite Marine team that the U.S. planned to send to Khartoum, a U.S. official said Saturday.
As a result, the deployment has been delayed and possibly curtailed, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to disclose details on the troop movement.
The Marine unit, known as a fleet anti-terrorism security team, was ordered to Sudan in the wake of violence and protests against the U.S. Embassy.
Similar teams were sent to Libya on Wednesday after the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, and to Yemen on Friday
Demonstrators in Sudan stormed the German Embassy before moving on in buses to the U.S. Embassy, where police used tear gas to stop them scaling the walls. The protests were part of demonstrations across the Muslim world against an anti-Islam film.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Sudan's government "has recommitted itself both publicly and privately to continue to protect our mission," as obligated under the Vienna Convention. "We have requested additional security precautions as a result of yesterday's damage to our embassy. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure we have what we need to protect our people and facility."
The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of all family members and non-essential U.S. government personnel from posts in Sudan and Tunisia and is issuing travel warnings to American citizens in the two countries due to security concerns over anti-American violence.
The department's travel warning said while Sudan's government has taken steps to limit the activities of terrorist groups, some remain there and have threatened to attack Western interests. The terrorist threat level remains critical throughout Sudan, the department said.
Posted By: Steve A On: 9/15/2012
Title: Sudan
If the governments of these countries are not willing or able to control violent demonstrators, why is it we still have embassies in their countries...........would seem to me the that the reasonable response would be to shut the embassy down. A government that is willing to control violent demonstrations would post their military outside of any and all foreign embassies on their soil.
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