UN chief ‘shocked’ by Sudan’s call for replacing envoy

ISTANBUL

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over a call by Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the removal of the international body’s envoy Volker Perthes.

Guterres "is shocked by a letter he received from chairman of the Sovereign Council of Sudan" in which he asked to remove Perthes from his post, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General is proud of the work done by Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative," Dujarric added.

In his letter, al-Burhan, head of the country’s ruling Sovereign Council, expressed dissatisfaction with the UN envoy’s performance, according to Sudanese media.

The army chief accused Perthes of spreading disinformation about reaching a consensus over a Sudanese framework agreement while the reality was different.

Signed on Dec. 5, 2022, the framework agreement pledges a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by the political parties that signed the deal.

Al-Burhan also accused the UN envoy of being a source for negative reflections within the international organization towards Sudan.

At least 863 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since April 15, according to local medics.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the Sudanese army and the RSF over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar