Sudan military ruler seeks removal of UN envoy in letter to UN chief

Associated Press

Cairo: Sudan's military ruler demanded in a letter to the UN secretary general that the UN envoy to his country be removed, officials said Saturday. The UN chief was “shocked” by the letter, a spokesman said.

The envoy, Volker Perthes, has been a key mediator in Sudan, first during the country's fitful attempts to transition to democracy and then after worsening tensions between military rivals exploded into open fighting last month. The fighting pits troops loyal to military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan against a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, headed by Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Burhan's letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was received Friday.

“The Secretary-General is shocked by the letter he received this morning,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General is proud of the work done by Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative.” Dujarric didn't reveal the contents of the letter. A senior Sudanese 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. The talks had aimed at restoring the country's democratic transition, which was derailed by a military coup in Oct. 2021. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.

Later Saturday, the U.S. State Department said it supports Perthes and that he “continues to have our confidence.” A statement by spokesman Matthew Miller said that “we express our concern over the letter from the Sudanese Armed Forces calling for his (Perthes') resignation.”