Sunday, October 22, 2006

Sudan orders UN SRSG Jan Pronk to leave within 3 days

Reuters report via POTP - excerpt:
Sudan on Sunday ordered top U.N. envoy Jan Pronk to leave the country within three days following comments he made that the army's morale was low after suffering two major defeats in the violent Darfur region.

"He has until mid-noon on Wednesday to leave," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig. He added the reason was Pronk's comments on the army.

Last week the Sudanese military said Pronk's continued presence in Sudan represented a "military danger to the armed forces".

The military statement accused Pronk of undermining the army by "casting doubt on the ability of the Sudanese Armed Forces to protect the Sudanese people and defend the state".

Pronk's blog, www.janpronk.nl, had said army morale was low in North Darfur after two defeats at the hands of a new rebel alliance called the National Redemption Front (NRF).

No comments: