Sudan

Sudan Declares UN Envoy 'Persona non Grata'

JUN 9 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Wikmedia Commons

The Facts

Sudan announced late Thursday that the UN envoy and key mediator in the country's conflict, Volker Perthes, is no longer allowed within its borders, declaring him "persona non grata," ahead of a new, US-Saudi brokered 24-hour truce that began on Saturday morning.
FOX News
The German diplomat, who was in Ethiopia on Thursday for diplomatic talks, has been accused by Sudan's top military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, of fueling the war that broke out in mid-April between his troops and General Mohamed Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Africanews
Two weeks ago, Burhan sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging Perthes to be removed on allegations that the envoy has disrespected the country's national sovereignty and presented a misleading picture of consensus in his reports.
Al Jazeera
Perthes has led mediation in Sudan since 2021, first during the country's failed transition to democracy and then as relations between the military and the RSF worsened. According to Berlin, he will continue to do his job from Kenya.
PBS NewsHour
The UN Security Council voted last week to extend the mandate of its Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) for just six months, rather than the typical one-year renewal since it was created in June 2020.
Dw.Com
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, at least 1.8K people have been killed in the conflict so far. The UN estimates that 1.2M have been displaced, roughly one-third of them fleeing abroad, as well as that 25M Sudanese are now in need of aid.
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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Not only has Perthes failed to achieve the integration of the RSF into the military — one of the primary negotiation goals of the last two years — but he has somehow figured out a way to disappoint the army, civilian political actors, resistance committee activists, and the Sudanese people simultaneously. Perthes' role as chief UN diplomat has made everyone worse off.

Middle East Eye

Pro-establishment narrative

This declaration is a slap in the face to the entire UN mission, which has sought only the best outcome for all Sudanese people after the two rival Sudanese generals dragged the country into a war in mid-April. Additionally, Khartoum has violated its obligations under the UN charter, as the doctrine of "persona non grata" does not apply to UN personnel.

France 24