Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Saudi Arabian diplomats based in Sudan have been threatened with “physical extermination” via SMS text messages to their mobile phones.

Some members of the Saudi embassy staff in Khartoum have been receiving threatening text messages for more than a month, and this is a major cause for concern for them. The local authorities are continuing to investigate the source of the latest threats received by the Saudi diplomats.

Until now, the real source of the threats being made against the mission that represents the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Sudan has yet to be identified. However, a diplomatic source at the Saudi embassy in Khartoum told Asharq Al-Awsat that the threats being received are “personal threats” and claimed that “a group of mercenaries are behind this.”

For his part, Osama Nuqli, a commissioner at the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry with the rank of Minister, told Asharq Al-Awsat that it is up to the host country’s authorities to deal with any threat to the Saudi embassy in a serious manner.

Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nuqli also said that all Saudi diplomats around the world enjoy the protection of their host countries, in addition to the Saudi security guards who protect the embassy building.

He said that in the event of any threats being issued, it is the duty of the host country to step up the level of security around the embassy building. He added that the Saudi authorities also step up protection of their diplomats after threats have been received.

Nuqli also told Asharq Al-Awsat that in the event of Saudi embassies receiving any threats, it is up the authorities of the host countries to “deal seriously with the source of these threats, investigate who is responsible for them, and provide maximum protection to the Saudi diplomats.”

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, several members of Saudi Arabia’s embassy to Sudan received threats of “physical extermination” over the past few weeks, including the Charge d’affaires, the Deputy Consul, and the Cultural Attaché.

The Saudi diplomatic source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the Saudi embassy in Khartoum had informed the Sudanese Foreign Ministry at the highest level of the threats received by its staff. He also said that guards accompany embassy staff during times of threat.

The unnamed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saudi embassy contacted the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, the chief of the Sudanese police force, and political security agencies to inform them of the threats received by the Saudi embassy staff.

The Saudi diplomat described the threats that they received as being “personal.” He said: “The threats are issued by people who have interests and who are harmed by the application of order.” He added: “We apply the instructions. Some people do not like the regulations and seek to violate them. There are people who profit from this, and their agents have vested interest in defrauding people.”