UN Envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes Resigns

On Wednesday, the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, announced his resignation due to tensions with Khartoum.

The country has been facing fighting between the national army and a paramilitary group for nearly five months.

In June, Khartoum declared Perthes persona non grata and accused him of bias after he condemned possible "crimes against humanity" in the conflict.

Perthes had been heading up the UNITAMS mission for over two years and was grateful for the opportunity but has asked to be relieved of his duty.

In response, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accepted Perthes' resignation, stating that he had strong reasons for leaving.

Speaking to the Security Council, Perthes warned that the conflict between the forces under General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo could further deteriorate.

"What started as a conflict between two military formations could be morphing into a full-scale civil war," he said, as "the fighting shows no sign of abating while neither side appears close to a decisive military victory."

He also called on the international community and Security Council to impress on the warring parties that they cannot operate with impunity, and that there will be accountability for the crimes committed.