Volker Perthes, the UN special representative for Sudan, told the Security Council on Wednesday that he plans to step down, warning the country may be heading towards full-blown civil war.
“I have had the privilege to serve as the United Nations Secretary General’s special representative for Sudan for more than two and a half years,” he told the 15-member council.
“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. This will therefore be my last briefing in this function.”
Mr Perthes's resignation comes three months after the Sudanese government declared him persona non grata as it pushed to have him removed from his position.
Sudan's military chief, Gen Abdel Fatah Al Burhan, blamed the envoy last month for exacerbating fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
In a letter to Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Gen Al Burhan accused Mr Perthes of bias and of not respecting Sudan's “national sovereignty”.
He said the envoy presented a misleading picture of “consensus” in his reports to the UN.
Mr Guterres told reporters that he had approved Mr Perthes's resignation, acknowledging he has "very strong reasons to resign and I have to respect his will".
The country descended into chaos in mid-April when fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese military. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and ethnic-based violence has been reported in the restive Darfur region.
In his final briefing to the council, Mr Perthes warned that the fighting in the country “shows no sign of abating while neither side appears close to a decisive military victory”.
“What started as a conflict between two military formations could be morphing into a full-blown civil war.
“Civilians have been targeted on an ethnic basis and driven out of El Geneina and other locations in Darfur. In the west, cross-border mobilisation of Arab tribes is further fuelling the conflict and impacting regional stability.”
He was particularly concerned by the mobilisation of former regime elements “advocating for a continuation of the war”.
“Both sides’ military leaders are needed to negotiate and implement cessation of hostilities. But military leaders should not continue to rule the country,” he said.
"We need to impress on the warring parties that they cannot operate with impunity, and there will be accountability for the crimes committed."
Last month, during a UN briefing on Sudan, Mr Perthes was notably absent. The US accused Sudan of issuing threats to expel the UN mission from the country.
The Sudanese ambassador disputed these allegations.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, leaders of more than 50 international human rights groups urged the Security Council to move from talk to action on Sudan.
"The consequences of not acting are too grave to imagine," it read.
Tirana Hassan, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, said the council has failed in its duty to "robustly respond" to the increasing atrocities in Sudan.
“The world’s foremost body on international peace and security should not remain silent in the face of grave international crimes,” she said.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
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That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
SPECS
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
