UN envoy to Sudan announces resignation

Sudan. UN envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes has said he is stepping down from his post. Perthes made this announcement while briefing the Security Council on the situation in Sudan on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. “I had the privilege of serving for more than two and a half years as the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sudan,” he said. Perthes said, “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. So this will be my last briefing at this event.” Responding to questions at a press conference on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Perthes had very strong reasons for resigning and “I have to respect his wishes and accept his resignation”. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in June that the Sudanese government had officially informed Guterres that Perthes had been declared persona non-grata. A UN spokesperson then said that Guterres “remembers that the principle of persona non-grata does not apply to UN personnel”.