“Sudan Crisis: Controversy over UN Envoy and African Union Membership”

2023-05-27 07:52:30

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In parallel with a military conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, Sudan entered into a different controversy during the past hours, once morest the background of the desire of the President of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to remove the UN envoy, Volker Peretz, and signs of a crisis with the African Union also appeared.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Al-Burhan requested the nomination of an alternative to Volker Peretz, Guterres’ representative in Sudan and head of the United Nations Transition Support Mission there, in order to “preserve the relationship that links the international institution with Sudan.”

Al-Burhan indicated in his letter that the representative of the Secretary-General in Sudan “gave a negative impression of the United Nations’ neutrality and respect for the sovereignty of states, and his behavior was characterized by weaving complexities and provoking differences between political forces,” which led to the crisis in mid-April.

Al-Burhan went so far as to say that the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Hamidti, would not have rebelled if he had not found signs of guarantee and encouragement from a number of parties, including Peretz.

He also said that Peretz practiced misleading in his reports by claiming that there is a consensus regarding the framework agreement signed between the Sovereignty Council and Sudanese civilian components, most notably the Forces for Freedom and Change – the Central Council.

On the other hand, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, told Al-Jazeera that the Secretary-General was shocked by the message he received from General Al-Burhan, in which he demands the removal of his special representative from Sudan, explaining that the Secretary-General is proud of the work that Peretz is doing in Sudan, and repeats Confirm his complete confidence in him.

Head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan Volker Peretz (Al-Jazeera)

He won’t come back once more

But the matter did not end in this way, as an informed Sudanese diplomatic source told Al-Jazeera that the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Sudan, Volker Peretz, will not return once more to Sudan, despite Guterres’ expression of confidence in him.

The diplomatic source pointed out that Sudan exercised its right as a fully sovereign state and submitted a letter that had its reasons for refusing to deal with Peretz, especially since the United Nations mission came at the request of Sudan and operates under Chapter VI.

The source added that the United Nations mission in Sudan will continue its work as usual until an alternative representative for Peretz is chosen in consultation with Khartoum, stressing that Peretz will not venture back to Sudan, and that the Sudanese government will not recognize him and will not deal with him following the message of the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. To the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

It is worth noting that since April 15, Sudan has been witnessing clashes between the army led by Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Muhammad Hamdan Daglo Hamidti, including the capital Khartoum and other cities in the north and west of the country, following differences that arose between them due to several issues, including the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army.

Al-Burhan announced a few days ago the dismissal of Hamidti from the position of Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council and appointed Malik Aqar in his place, noting that the dismissal came 34 days following the start of the clashes between the two parties.

crisis with Africa

On the other hand, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union issued a statement today stressing that there is no military solution to the Sudan crisis, adding that the fighting must stop immediately without preconditions.

The statement considered that the fighting in Sudan was caused by the difference in visions regarding the framework agreement signed last December, noting that the number of displaced people due to the fighting in Sudan had reached more than 700,000 as of the ninth of May.

On the other hand, a Sudanese diplomatic source told Al-Jazeera that the Sudanese authorities informed the African Union that Khartoum might withdraw from the union’s membership if it took steps without consulting it.

In what is an indication of a crisis with African parties, the Sudanese source said that Khartoum thwarted a plan to hold a summit conference of the IGAD countries on May 12, because the matter was done without consulting them.

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