Assistant UN Envoy to Sudan Presents Credentials, as UN Responds to Sudanese Persona Non Grata Decision

The assistant UN envoy to Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, presented her credentials to the Sudanese Foreign Ministry to succeed Volker Berthes.

Nkweta-Salami reported on Tweet On her Twitter account: “Today I presented my credentials with the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I look forward to leading the United Nations country team and cooperating with relevant government institutions and partners in the field to alleviate suffering and provide life-saving assistance in support of Sudan and the Sudanese people.”

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, on Thursday, declaring that the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Support Mission in Sudan, Perthes, is persona non grata.

Commenting on the Sudanese decision, the United Nations said, on Friday, that the principle of persona non grata cannot be applied to United Nations envoys.

“The Secretary-General states that the principle of persona non grata does not apply to United Nations personnel, and that resorting to it is inconsistent with the obligations of states under the Charter of the United Nations,” said United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Friday.

In early June, the UN Security Council announced the extension of the United Nations political mission in Sudan for six months.
This decision came after the Sudanese army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, accused the UN envoy, Perthes, of contributing to fueling the conflict.

The Security Council resolution, which was brief, stated that the approval came unanimously to extend the mandate of the “United Nations Integrated Transitional Support Mission in Sudan” until December 3, 2023.

The resolution called on the Secretary-General to continue to report on the mission in Sudan on a quarterly basis. He indicated that the next report is expected to be issued, on August 30.

In late May, Al-Burhan accused Pertis of contributing, with his “biased” behavior and “misleading” style, to the outbreak of the bloody conflict, in mid-April, between the army led by him on the one hand, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti” on the one hand. another side.

Al-Burhan said, according to the text of the message at the time, that the international special envoy, in his reports, practiced “misleading and fraud by claiming consensus on the framework agreement.”

He added that he “insisted on imposing the agreement by dishonest means and methods, despite the weaknesses and loopholes in this agreement,” which led to “what happened in terms of rebellion and military confrontations.”

And he considered that “Hemedti” would not have done what he did “had he not received signs of guarantee and encouragement from other parties,” including the international envoy, according to Al-Burhan.

He also accused Berthes of not respecting the duty of “neutrality, non-alignment and respect for the sovereignty of states,” considering that he had become “a party and not a facilitator or mediator.”

For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked by the message,” adding that he was “proud of Berthes’ work and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative,” according to a statement from his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.

The US State Department then expressed its “strong support” for Perthes, noting its “concern” about Al-Burhan’s message, in which he called for the resignation of the UN official.