Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Sudanese and U.N. officials say the United Nations secretary-general was “shocked” by a letter from Sudan’s army chief demanding the removal of the U.N. envoy to the country. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received the letter Friday from Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, Sudan’s top military official and head of the ruling Sovereign Council, according to the U.N. spokesman. The development comes amid fighting between the military and a paramilitary force that began in mid-April. The letter came as the two sides agreed to observe a weeklong cease-fire, brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. However, the truce, which is scheduled to expire Monday night, did not stop the fighting. A military official says Burhan accused Perthes of “being partisan.”