KHARTOUM, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government has declared that the UN envoy to the country Volker Perthes not welcome anymore.
The declaration came in a statement issued by the Sudanese foreign ministry, just weeks after Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan demanded the removal of Perthes from his post in a letter sent to the UN chief.
"The Government of the Republic of Sudan has officially notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations that Volker Perthes, special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), has been declared persona non grata as of today," the ministry said Thursday.
On the same day, Pethes, who has been outside Sudan since late May, held several meetings in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the UNITAMS said in a statement.
On May 26, Al-Burhan sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to ask him to replace Pethes.
On June 2, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2685 to extend the UNITAMS mandate until Dec. 3, 2023.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum and other areas since April 15, which has left 863 dead and 3,531 others injured, according to the Sudanese Doctors Union.
At least 1.6 million people have been displaced, fleeing to safer locations inside and outside Sudan, according to the UN figures. ■
