Sudan does not target UNITAMS head: foreign minister

May 19, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Ali al-Sadiq acting Sudanese Foreign Minister said that his government is not targeting the UNITAMS head, but rather calls on the United Nations to implement the mandate given to the political mission, and make the transitional period a success.

Four days before a briefing that Volker Perthes will present to the Security Council about UNITAMS and the Sudanese crisis on May 24, Minister al-Sadiq held a press conference on his government’s position on the performance of the political mission.

During the press conference, the minister said his government’s criticism of the UNITAMS’s performance came after extensive considerations and consultations over its mandate and what it has already implemented, referring to reports in this respect submitted to former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.

“Criticism of UNITAMS’s performance is not intended to criticize a particular person, as some might think,” he said.

“We focus on what we want from this mission and what the mission was not able to perform in the aspects I mentioned,” he added.

Further, he underscored that the acting undersecretary who met last April with the UN senior officials and members of the security council stressed Sudan’s intention to cooperate with the Mission in the national interest in accordance with its mandate.

“We are ready to cooperate with the mission to the fullest possible extent so that the transition will be successful and that free and fair elections will be held bringing stability to the country,” he said.

On June 4, 2020, the Security Council adopted a resolution to establish a political mission in Sudan to assist the transition towards democratic governance, provide support for the peace process and bolster efforts to maintain the rule of law and security institutions.

The mission was established upon the request of former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok. At the time, the military component was restless with this move saying they had not been consulted about it.

The minister said criticising the mission’s focus on the political crisis at the expense of other aspects of its mandate was not intended to challenge the ongoing political process facilitated by the United Nations, the African Union and IGAD.

“On the contrary, we support the ongoing dialogue, and we do everything necessary to make it a success,” he reiterated.

The head of the Sovereign Council al-Burhan sharply criticized UNITAMS’s performance last April.

Also, the supporters of the former Islamist regime organized protests supporting his criticism and called to expel the mission and its head.

(ST)