Sudanese army declares UN’s Pronk persona non grata
Oct 20, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese military declared UN special envoy Jan Pronk persona non grata, accusing him of “waging war against the armed forces,” in the latest escalation in a war of words between Khartoum and the international community.
The general command accused Pronk, UN secretary general Kofi Annan’s special representative (SRSG) in Sudan, of “openly intruding in the armed forces’ affair”.
It considers the envoy’s presence and movements in Sudan “a military threat that adversely affects the performance of the armed forces and (he) has therefore become a persona non grata,” a statement said.
It complained that the envoy had travelled around Sudan without government permission and dealt with rebel groups fighting the military in the western region of Darfur.
It also accused Pronk of “waging psychological warfare on the armed forces by propagating erroneous information that casts doubts about the capability of the armed forces in maintaining security and defending the country.”
On Wednesday, the United Nations’s daily Sudan internet bulletin spoke of mounting tensions between Pronk and the military over his reporting of setbacks for the army in Darfur.
“On October 17, the Sudan armed forces (SAF) spokesman strongly criticized SRSG Pronk describing him as “aggressive and lacking credibility,” the bulletin said.
“This came about following the SRSG’s recent statements on SAF suffering heavy losses in Darfur,” it added.
“The spokesperson commented that the SAF are currently fighting Chadian troops who use helicopters to support the rebels with munitions. Further he denied the occurrence of mutiny among SAF troops.”
Pronk was reported to have said that the army had suffered two defeats and lost hundreds of troops in fighting with rebels in North Darfur, that several generals had been sacked and that the army was being forced to turn to its feared Janjaweed militia allies as troops were refusing to go to the front.
A senior general called for Pronk’s swift deportation.
“The presence of Jan Pronk in the Sudan constitutes a threat to the Sudan’s national security and an immediate decision for his deportation from the Sudan should therefore be taken,” former armed forces spokesman General Mohammed Beshir Suleiman told the official SUNA news agency.
The envoy “has gone beyond the boundaries of his responsiblilities and duties,” said Suleiman, charging that Pronk was abusing his position to attempt to force Sudan to accept a UN Security Council resolution authorising the despatch of 20,000 UN peacekeepers to Darfur to replace an African Union force.
“The envoy, with this statement, intended to prove that the armed forces and the African Union forces have failed in keeping peace and that the national army is incapable of protecting the civilians against rebel attacks, and thus to pave the way for implementation of Resolution 1706,” he said.
The government of President Omar al-Beshir has repeatedly refused to allow the deployment of UN peacekeepers to replace the overstretched AU force, charging that the Security Council resolution was a Western plot to occupy his country and plunder its resources.
(AFP)