UN received Sudan's letter to terminate political mission: Spokesman

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Sudan has officially informed the UN of its decision to terminate, its political mission, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

"I can confirm that we have indeed received a letter from the Government of Sudan announcing the government’s decision to 'terminate' UNITAMS, which is our special political mission in Sudan," said UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric at his press briefing.

"The letter says that they are 'terminating' UNITAMS with immediate effect," said Dujarric.

The spokesman said Sudan engages constructively with the UN on a "new, appropriate and agreed-upon formula".

"The mandate, the permission to operate these missions comes from the Security Council. So the permission to terminate them needs to come from the Security Council, as well," Dujarric added.

The UNITAMS was established in 2020 by Security Council resolution 2524, and its current mandate ends on Dec. 3. Its objective is to support the Sudanese democratic transition.

​​​​​​​Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April, in a conflict that has killed 5,000 people and displaced more than 5.2 million, according to UN figures.