The Sudanese army said on Thursday that Jan Pronk, the special
representative of the UN Secretary General Koffi Annan in Sudan,
was not welcomed. In a statement, the High Command of the Sudanese
Armed Forces condemned that "the fragrant interference of Pronk in
the Sudanese army's affairs which is equivalent to a war against
the army".
It stressed that "Pronk's existence and his movements, including
his contacts with the rebels and his visits without the Sudanese
government's approval, constitute a military danger which has
negatively affected the army's work."
The statement also accused the UN top envoy in Sudan of
launching a psychological war on the Sudanese army by spreading
fabricated false information doubting the army's capability to
maintain the security and stability of the country.
Meanwhile, a retired army officer Lieutenant General
Mohammedal-Bashir Suleiman told the official SUNA news agency that
Pronk's recent remarks on the Sudanese army had "obviously
overpassed its authority and responsibility", calling on the
government to take firm steps to expel Pronk from Sudan.
Pronk wrote in his personal weblog on Saturday that the Sudanese
army had lost two major battles in Darfur, one in Umm Sidir last
month and the other in Karakaya last week, and suffered heavy
casualties.
The Sudanese army was probably receiving support from Chadian
rebels on Sudanese soil, while the Darfurian rebel groups were
supported by the Chadian authorities, he added.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2006)
