Sudan’s government declares UN envoy no longer welcome; warring sides agree to 24-hour cease-fire

By JACK JEFFERY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s government says the U.N. envoy to the country, a key negotiator in its brutal conflict, is no longer welcome. The announcement late Thursday comes weeks after the head of the country’s military, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, demanded in a letter that envoy Volker Perthes be removed from his post. Meanwhile, Saudi mediators said the Sudanese military and the paramilitary have agreed to a new 24-hour cease-fire to start Saturday at 6 am. Since mid-April, 15, Sudan’s military, headed by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a conflict that has killed more than 860 civilians. Perthes has been a key mediator in Sudan since being appointed as special envoy in 2021.