Sudan government bans UN envoy from entering country News
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Sudan government bans UN envoy from entering country

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes would no longer be welcome in the country. 

The statement comes weeks after General Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of Sudan’s military, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressing dissatisfaction with Perthes and UNITAMS. Guterres expressed his support for Perthes via a spokesperson after receiving the letter, saying, “The Secretary-General is proud of the work done by Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative.”

UNITAMS has struggled to battle alleged misinformation about both Perthes and the organization throughout its time in the country, spread primarily through WhatsApp and Botim.

Germany’s government has expressed support for Perthes, with spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Andrea Sasse, saying, “The international community, including the German government, continues to stand fully behind Mr. Perthes and his efforts.” Sasse went on to confirm that Perthes would continue his work from Kenya for the time being.

A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence also released a statement Friday raising alarm over the rapidly deteriorating human rights conditions in Sudan. Laurence decried the recents attacks on a livestock market that killed eight and airstrikes on a refugee center that killed at least ten. Laurence went on to raise concerns about journalists’ safety, saying:

Journalists are also at heightened risk amid a rise in online hate speech and disinformation. Our Office has learnt of a list circulating on social media accusing certain journalists of being supporters of the RSF. We have observed comments on Facebook calling for the killing of the journalists on the list.

All of this as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire, negotiated with the assistance of the US and Saudi Arabia. This is despite the recent suspension of formal peace talks and the scrapping of a previous five-day ceasefire agreement.

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