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Sudan Tribune

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Khartoum says UN to name new humanitarian coordinator within days

January 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s foreign ministry has expected the United Nations to name a new resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan within the next few days.

Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson, Youssef al-Kordofani (SUNA)
Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson, Youssef al-Kordofani (SUNA)
On 25 December, Sudanese authorities asked the previous coordinator, Ali al-Za’atari, to leave the country. This came less than 24 hours after similar a move against the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) country director, Yvonne Helle.

The pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) website quoted the official spokesperson of Sudan’s foreign ministry, Youssef al-Kordofani, on Tuesday as saying the UN has not yet named officials to replace Za’atari and Helle.

He stressed Sudan’s desire to cooperate with the UN in accordance with the international charters.

Al-Kordofani noted the UN has expressed understanding of Khartoum’s decision to expel the two officials as well as its demand that the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) prepare an exit strategy from the country.

On 2 December, SMC claimed that Za’atari had insulted the Sudanese people and president Hassan Omer Hassan al-Bashir in an interview with Norwegian newspaper Bistandsaktuelt.

SMC said that the UN official described Sudan as a country living in a humanitarian and economic crisis and that the society has become dependent on aid.

But Za’atari told Sudan Tribune at the time that statements attributed to him were not entirely true, adding that “It is inconceivable that I offend Sudan”.

The ejection of the two UN officials come a month after Bashir called for peacekeepers from the UNAMID, to leave, calling them a “security burde..”

(ST)

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