20 Oct 2006

Sudan military declares UN envoy persona non grata

The never ending war in the Sudan is now in a new stage. Jan Pronk, the Dutch UN envoy is not welcome anymore.

"The Sudanese military declared UN special envoy Jan Pronk persona non grata Friday, 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 traveled 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."
A senior general called for the envoy's swift deportation."

Source: Relief Web

UN’s Pronk is a danger for Sudan’s national security, says the Sudan Tribune

"In a statement on Thursday, the High Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces condemned that "the flagrant interference of Pronk in the Sudanese army’s affairs which is equivalent to a war against the army".
It stressed that "Pronk’s existence and his movements, including his contacts with the rebels and his visits without the Sudanese government’s approval, constitute a military danger which has negatively affected the army’s work."
The statement also accused the UN top envoy in Sudan of launching a psychological war on the Sudanese army by spreading fabricated false information doubting the army’s capability to maintain the security and stability of the country." But They also ran a story by Jan Pronk called: Sudan’s blindness in Darfur

Read Jan Pronk's Homepage and weblog, also see the UN website about Africa