UNITAMS head resigns amidst Sudanese government pressure

September 13, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and UNITAMS head, Volker Perthes, announced his resignation during his final briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday.

Volker Perthes provided a briefing on developments in Sudan from May 7 to August 20, despite threats from the Sudanese government to halt UNITAMS activities.

Towards the end of his briefing, Perthes conveyed to the Council members that the time had come for him to step down after serving in Sudan for over two and a half years.

“I am grateful to the Secretary-General for that opportunity and for his confidence in me, but I have asked him to relieve me of this duty,” he said.

Following the coup d’état on October 25, 2021, Sudanese Islamists who supported the military’s takeover of the civilian transitional government staged protests outside UNITAMS premises, demanding Perthes’s expulsion.

Additionally, General al-Burhan had threatened to expel Perthes, accusing him of meddling in Sudanese internal affairs and failing to fulfil his mandate of supporting peace implementation and garnering international assistance.

On May 26, al-Burhan formally requested Perthes’s replacement in a letter to the UN Secretary-General. This request came in the wake of allegations by Lieutenant General Yasir al-Atta, a member of the Sovereign Council, who accused Perthes of aligning himself with the Forces for Freedom and Change.

Before officially announcing his resignation, Perthes informed UNITAMS staff members about his decision.

“Let me at this point say that I take this step in full coordination and with the backing of the Secretary-General, whose support in the last months I am particularly grateful for,” he said.

(ST)