UNITAMS is non-neutral with regard to democratic values, Perthes says
September 30, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Volker Perthes, United Nations envoy for Sudan said he does not support a party in the Sudanese crisis against another but he would not compromise with regard to the UNITAMS mandate to support a democratic transition.
On September 17, Gibril Ibrahim Finance Minister and Head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) slammed Perthes for his (biased) position in the ongoing process to form a civilian government.
“I told him this because he is a non-neutral mediator and does not fit to be a mediator. Several parties told him the same thing,” he added alluding to statements by the leaders of the military component against the UN envoy.
On Friday, Perthes released an editorial where he repeated the UN commitment to support Sudan to achieve a democratic transition. Also, he underscored that UNITAMS works with its regional partners in the Trilateral Mechanism and the international community to facilitate an intra-Sudanese process.
“We in the UN can bring technical expertise and other support to proposals on how to address these questions,” he said.
“We will continue to remain nonpartisan, but we will never be neutral with regard to our values: democracy, human rights and international law, and to the strategic objective defined in the mandate given to me by the Security Council, namely, to assist Sudan on a civilian-led transition towards democracy and peace,” he further emphasized.
The coup leaders and their allied armed groups criticized the positions of the UN envoy backing the need for political, security and economic reforms which are the core of his mandate.
The UNITMAS recently facilitated the efforts of the Sudanese Bar Association to draft a transitional constitution including all the stakeholders. Also, international legal experts participated in this enterprise.
But the outcome of the initiative did not fit in many points with the positions of the military component and allied political and armed groups.
In his article, Perthes expressed hope that Sudanese would reach an agreement over the transitional government despite the strained political situation
“While political polarization continues to intensify, there are many signs of hope in reaching a solution. The multiplicity of national initiatives – with many points of convergence between them – evidence this”.
(ST)