Sudan’s Military Ruler Demands Removal Of UN Envoy
Sudan’s military ruler has demanded the removal of the UN envoy.
The Sudanese and U.N. officials say the United Nations secretary-general was “shocked” by a letter from Sudan’s army chief demanding the removal of the UN envoy to the country.
The letter by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, Sudan’s top military official and head of the ruling Sovereign Council, comes as Sudan plunged into further chaos after worsening tensions between military rivals exploded into open fighting last month.
“The Secretary-General is shocked by the letter he received this Friday morning,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“The Secretary-General is proud of the work done by UN envoy Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dujarric didn’t reveal the contents of the letter. However, a senior military official said Burhan’s letter asked Guterres to replace Perthes who was appointed to the post in 2021.
According to the official, Burhan accused Perthes of “being partisan,” and that his approach in pre-war talks between the generals and the pro-democracy movement helped inflame the conflict.
Perthes declined to comment neither on the letter.
Report says Burhan accused Perthes last year of “exceeding the U.N. mission’s mandate and of blatant interference in Sudanese affairs.” He threatened to expel him from the country.
The ongoing fighting broke out in mid-April between the military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Both Burhan and Dagalo led the 2021 coup that removed the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Burhan’s letter came after the UN envoy accused the warring parties of disregarding the laws of war by attacking homes, shops, places of worship, and water and electricity installations.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council earlier this week, Perthes blamed the leaders of the military and the RSF for the war, saying that they have chosen to “settle their unresolved conflict on the battlefield rather than at the table.”
AP/Christopher Ojilere
