Sudan urges immediate termination of UN political mission

• A woman and her baby daughter wait with hundreds of South Sudanese refugee returnees at Palouch airport in Upper Nile State, South Sudan, to board one of the cargo planes transporting people to different parts of the country. (UNHCR/Andrew McConnell)

The Sudanese government, in a letter to the United Nations on Thursday, requested the immediate termination of the UN's political mission, UNITAMS, in the country.

"[The] government of Sudan requested that the United Nations immediately terminate the UNITAMS mission. At the same time, we would like to assure you that the Government of Sudan is committed to engaging constructively with the Security Council and the Secretariat," Ali Sadeq, Sudan's acting Foreign Minister, conveyed in the letter to the UN Security Council, as reported by Reuters and dpa news agencies.

The letter directed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mentioned, "The purpose of establishing the mission [was] to assist the transitional government of Sudan after the December 2018 revolution," indicating that the mission's effectiveness in achieving its goals "was disappointing."

The UN Security Council has received and disseminated the letter, as stated by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Read next: Al-Burhan blames UN envoy's 'fraud, disinformation', urges his sacking^[1]

UN in Sudan 

The relationship between the Sudanese government and the UN has been strained since the outbreak of clashes in the country on April 15.

Volker Perthes, the UN special envoy to Sudan, resigned in September, over three months after the Sudanese government declared him persona non grata^[2]. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto president of Sudan, accused him of exacerbating the conflict in the country.

Since late last year, Sudanese people have staged many protests against Perthes and the UN mission he heads in war-torn Sudan, denouncing foreign meddling in the African country.

Sudan has been facing turmoil due to armed clashes^[3] between the army and Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, primarily centered on control of the country. 

It is worth noting that over 10,000 people^[4] have been reportedly killed in Sudan since the beginning of the clashes, based on a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project. Meanwhile, UN figures indicate that approximately six million individuals^[5] have been displaced from their residences.

Read next: Sudan: A borderless conflict^[6]

References

1. ^{^} Al-Burhan blames UN envoy's 'fraud, disinformation', urges his sacking (english.almayadeen.net)
2. ^{^} persona non grata (english.almayadeen.net)
3. ^{^} armed clashes (english.almayadeen.net)
4. ^{^} over 10,000 people (english.almayadeen.net)
5. ^{^} approximately six million individuals (english.almayadeen.net)
6. ^{^} Sudan: A borderless conflict (english.almayadeen.net)