Sudan urges UN to replace Pronk
Oct 23, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has accused the UN envoy to Sudan of undermining Darfur peace urging the international body to replace him.
“It is now evident to us that Mr Pronk has actually engaged in activities incompatible with his status and had needlessly and recklessly endangered and undermined the nascent Darfur peace process,” Sudan’s Foreign Minister Lam Akoi Ajawin said in a letter to Annan.
Lam Akol pledged that Sudanese government “will cooperate with a replacement.”
Sudan on Sunday 22 October ordered the top U.N. envoy, Jan Pronk, to leave the country within three days starting from Sunday midday following comments he made that the army’s morale was low after suffering two major defeats in the violent Darfur region.
Lam Akol accused Pronk of “unwarranted interferences” beyond his mandate as Annan’s special representative in Sudan and wrote he had developed “a history of a pattern of hostility against the government of Sudan and its armed forces.”
“He had repeatedly abused the powers of his office, violated his terms of engagement as a special representative,” Sudanese top diplomat stated in his letter.
Sudan accused Pronk of criticizing Khartoum for not implementing the May 5 peace agreement on Darfur signed by Khartoum and an African rebel group.
Pronk said in his blog Sudan had diverted the DPA by excluding the non signatory rebels from the ceasefire commission and carrying out attack against these groups with militias, “without risking that such a violation of the DPA will be raised in the CFC, let alone condemned and sanctioned.”
The Foreign Minister said UN envoy was guilty of “enticing, aiding and abetting the [rebel] armed groups.” He said Pronk had accused Khartoum of siding with Arab militias known as Janjaweed “for the purpose of cleansing the African tribes” in Darfur.
Sudan denies charges of mobilizing and arming the Arab Janjaweed militia. Pro-government militias are accused of a campaign of rape, murder and pillage, which Washington calls genocide.
(ST)