Africa
At least 51 people killed in road accident in western Kenya, 32 injured, police and Red Cross say
A truck rammed into several other vehicles and market traders in western Kenya killing at least 51 people, police said.
The Friday evening accident occurred at a location known for vehicle crashes near the Rift Valley town of Londiani, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.
Officers at the scene counted 51 bodies, but more people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, Rift Valley police commander Tom Odera told The Associated Press.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said on Saturday 32 people were injured and hospitalized, and asked Kenyans to donate blood. It also said heavy rainfall interrupted rescue efforts and people were still trapped in wrecked vehicles.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen visited the scene on Saturday morning and said the government would relocate markets away from the highways to prevent such future accidents.
President William Ruto tweeted a condolence message to bereaved families describing the accident as "distressing" and urging motorists to be "extra cautious."
Witnesses quoted by local media said the truck veered off the major highway and hit several vehicles before hitting pedestrians and traders. Witnesses shared photos of the vehicle wreckages mangled beyond recognition.
Police had said on Friday rescue operations would continue into the night.
The Kenyan Red Cross Society said they have set up stations at hospitals where people can report loved ones still missing and are providing psychological support to those affected.
At least 51 people killed in road accident in western Kenya, 32 injured, police and Red Cross say
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A truck rammed into several other vehicles and market traders in western Kenya killing at least 51 people, police said.
The Friday evening accident occurred at a location known for vehicle crashes near the Rift Valley town of Londiani, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.
Officers at the scene counted 51 bodies, but more people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, Rift Valley police commander Tom Odera told The Associated Press.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said on Saturday 32 people were injured and hospitalized, and asked Kenyans to donate blood. It also said heavy rainfall interrupted rescue efforts and people were still trapped in wrecked vehicles.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen visited the scene on Saturday morning and said the government would relocate markets away from the highways to prevent such future accidents.
President William Ruto tweeted a condolence message to bereaved families describing the accident as "distressing" and urging motorists to be "extra cautious."
Witnesses quoted by local media said the truck veered off the major highway and hit several vehicles before hitting pedestrians and traders. Witnesses shared photos of the vehicle wreckages mangled beyond recognition.
Police had said on Friday rescue operations would continue into the night.
The Kenyan Red Cross Society said they have set up stations at hospitals where people can report loved ones still missing and are providing psychological support to those affected.
TikTok now 2nd biggest social media platform in South Africa: Study
TikTok has overtaken Instagram to secure the second place among the "Big Five" social media platforms in South Africa, challenging Facebook's dominance in the country.
Facebook, with a commanding 56.7 percent penetration of South Africans aged 15 and over in urban areas, continues to dominate the social media realm, according to the South African Social Media Landscape 2023 study, released by brand intelligence consultancy Ornico and market research house World Wide Worx, local media reported Saturday.
Read: 2 friends ‘making TikTok videos’ dead after truck hits their bike in Lalmonirhat
However, TikTok has seen rapid growth and surpassed Instagram to claim second position at 30.6 percent. The platform's appeal also extends beyond its under-15 target audience, expanding its influence in the 15+ market, according to the study.
Instagram maintains its popularity among South African social media users, boasting a penetration rate of 27.6 percent, while Twitter remains in the fourth place at 22.5 percent, the study said.
Read: TikTok attorney: China can’t get U.S. data under plan
LinkedIn is far behind in fifth at 14.7 percent. However, its penetration is still healthy for a professional networking platform that does not hold much youth appeal.
The study used a mixture of data from Ask Afrika's Target Group Index, which surveyed 24,744 respondents, and Ornico and World Wide Worx's own survey of social media usage by South Africa's biggest brands.
Read more: Why does US see Chinese-owned TikTok as a security threat?
Sudan violence likely to push over 1 million refugees out of the African country by October, UN says
The United Nations said Tuesday the surging violence in Sudan is likely to drive more than 1 million refugees out of the African country by October, as the 10-week conflict shows few signs of easing.
Sudan descended into chaos after fighting erupted in mid-April between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Since then, over 3,000 people have been killed, the country’s Health Ministry said, while about 2.5 million people have been displaced, according to the U.N.
The violence has been most acute in the capital, Khartoum, but also in the western Darfur region, where RSF and Arab militias are reportedly targeting non-Arab tribes, local rights groups and the U.N. said. Most of those who have escaped have fled east to Chad.
“We were talking about 100,000 people in six months (fleeing to) Chad. And now the colleagues in Chad have revised their figures to 245,000,” said Raouf Mazou, assistant secretary-general at United Nations High Commission for Refugees, at a news conference in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Burhan and Dagalo separately declared a truce to mark the beginning of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha this week. Dagalo, in a voice recording posted on his social media page late Monday, said the truce would last Tuesday and Wednesday; while Burhan, in a televised speech broadcast Tuesday evening, said a “unilateral cease-fire” would take place on Wednesday.
There have been at least nine cease-fires since the conflict erupted in April and all have foundered.
During the same TV speech, Burhan called on Sudan’s youth and others capable of fighting to support the Sudanese army, either from “their place of residence or by joining the military movement.” It remains unclear if the call-up is mandatory.
Read: Sudan officials say airstrike kills 17, including 5 children, in capital Khartoum
In May, the country’s Defense Ministry made a similar appeal, calling on retired soldiers and army reservists to report to the nearest military command to fight against the RSF.
The province of West Darfur has seen some of the worst violence. In a report last week issued by the Dar Masalit sultanate, the leader of the African Masalit ethnic community accused the RSF and Arab militias of “committing genocide against African civilians.” He estimated that more than 5,000 people were killed in the province’s capital, Genena, over the past two months.
So far over 560,000 Sudanese have escaped to neighboring countries, with Egypt being the primary destination. “We expect, unfortunately, looking at the trends, that the conflict will continue and that many in Sudan will opt to (go to) Egypt,” Mazou said.
Peace negations mediated by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in the Saudi coastal town of Jeddah have all but broken down. The talks were formally adjourned last week with both mediators publicly criticizing the RSF and the army for continually violating truces the two nations had brokered.
Throughout the conflict, residential areas and hospitals in Khartoum have been pounded by army airstrikes, while RSF troops — who have the upper hand on the city’s streets — have commandeered civilian homes across the capital and turned them into bases.
Sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls, has been reported in Khartoum and Darfur. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment.
Read: South Sudan struggles to clear mines after decades of war as people start returning home
Late on Monday, the RSF said it would establish an internal body to assess and punish paramilitary troops accused of “violations and misconduct.” However, on that same day, Dagalo said many of the purported crimes have in fact been committed by affiliates of former Islamist leader Omar al-Bashir and other militias who had disguised themselves in RSF uniforms.
Former president al-Bashir, who led Sudan for 30 years, was toppled in a popular uprising in 2019. From the start of the conflict, Dagalo has accused the army of harboring Islamists and other affiliates of the ousted president within its ranks.
Over the past few days, new clashes also erupted between the Sudanese army and the country’s largest rebel force, the Sudan Popular Liberation Movement–North, in the remote Blue Nile state. The outburst of fighting has pushed hundreds of civilians into neighboring Ethiopia, the U.N.'s mission in Sudan said. It remains unclear how many people have been killed in the clashes
The southeastern pocket of the country was the scene of intense tribal clashes that killed over 170 people in October last year.
Read more: Sudan military ruler seeks removal of UN envoy in letter to UN chief, who is 'shocked' by the demand
5 killed in Kenya as concerns grow over increasing terror attacks
Five people have been killed in a Kenyan border village, fueling concerns that such attacks are increasing after a decline.
The weekend attack raises the death toll over the last month to more than 30 people — including soldiers, police reservists and civilians.
In Saturday's attack in the coastal Lamu county, four of the victims had their throats slit and one was shot at close range, ((according to local police.))Correct
The officials said about 30 attackers also torched houses in the village and stole food.
The village borders Witu Forest, where al-Shabab militants have created hideouts and held abductees.
Read: Days of sweltering heat, power cuts in northern India overwhelm hospitals as death toll climbs
Lamu County has been attacked two other times in the last two weeks, with both incidents targeting Kenya Defense Forces running a security operation in the area and leaving four of them dead.
In Kenya's north, Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties have seen several attacks this month in which more than 10 people - including soldiers, police reservists and civilians - have died.
Al-Shabab has in the past targeted Kenya, but a coordinated operation at the border and inside neighboring Somalia had led to fewer attacks until recently.
Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday suggested that the country’s troops might stay in Somalia into next month, past the date of withdrawal.
“We are very clear and we are going to send a very powerful message to al-Shabab, that they are not going to reverse the gains that we have made in the last couple of years,” he said during a France 24 interview in Paris.
Kenya is among countries in the region that have contributed troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Read: Cyclone Biparjoy weakens as it churns toward Pakistan after killing 2 in India and causing damage
Kenyan Interior Minister Kindiki Kithure has assured residents of their safety, citing a budgetary allocation in the upcoming new financial year to purchase advanced security equipment.
Defense Minister Aden Duale last week warned locals in Garissa County against aiding and working with militants.
More security personnel have been deployed to the border areas to enhance security.
Read more: Doctors advise people over 60 to stay indoors as India's northern state swelters in extreme heat
Sudan officials say airstrike kills 17, including 5 children, in capital Khartoum
An airstrike in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday killed at least 17 people, including five children, health officials said, as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control the country.
The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas of Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan between the military and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.
Read: Pakistani officials say bus accident in Salt mountain range kills 12, injures 8
There was no immediate comment Saturday from either side of the conflict on the strike, and it was not clear whether the attack was by warplanes or a drone. The military’s aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops and the RSF has reportedly used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.
The fighting broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF.
Saturday’s strike hit the Yormouk neighborhood in southern Khartoum, where clashes have centered in recent weeks, according to Sudan's Ministry of Health. The area houses a military facility controlled by the army. At least 25 houses were destroyed, the ministry wrote in a Facebook post.
The dead included five children and an unknown number of women and elderly people, and some wounded people were hospitalized, the ministry said.
A local group that calls itself The Emergency Room and helps organize humanitarian aid in the area, said at least 11 people were wounded in the strike. It posted images it said were of houses damaged in the attack and people searching through rubble. Other images claimed to show a wounded girl and man.
Read: At least 41 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
The conflict has plunged the African country into chaos and turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. The paramilitary force has occupied people’s houses and other civilian properties since the onset of the conflict, according to residents and activists.
The clashes have killed hundreds of civilians and wounded thousands of others. More than 2.2 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries.
Activists and residents have reported widespread looting in the capital. Diplomatic missions, including residences belong to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, have been stormed and looted, allegedly by armed men wearing RSF uniforms. Almost all diplomatic missions in Sudan were evacuated in the first weeks of the war.
“Looting was fairly extensive at some of the residences,” the U.S. Department of State told The Associated Press. “The damage was discovered during routine checks of the residences. There is some damage to the structures and personal property.”
Read: Eliminate legal barriers to women owning land: UN chief
Sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls, has been reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, which have seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which hasn't responded to repeated requests for comment.
The Darfur city of Genena has experienced some of the worst battles, with tens of thousands of its residents fleeing to neighboring Chad. The RSF and allied Arab militias have repeatedly attacked the city, especially areas of the non-Arab Masalit community, since late April, according to residents and activists.
The attacks intensified earlier this month. Volker Perthes, the U.N envoy in Sudan, said last week that the fighting in Genena has taken on “an ethnic dimension,” with Arab militias and armed men in RSF uniforms showing :an emerging pattern of large-scale targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities.”
On Wednesday, West Darfur Gov. Khamis Abdalla Abkar, who hails from the Masalit, was abducted and killed hours after he accused the RSF and allied Arab militias in a televised interview of attacking Genena. His slaying was blamed on the RSF, a charge the paramilitary force denied.
Martin Griffiths, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official, decried the fighting in Darfur on Thursday, especially in Genena where trapped residents “are living a nightmare.”
“Babies dying in hospitals where they were being treated; children and mothers suffering from severe malnutrition; camps for displaced persons burned to the ground; girls raped; schools closed; and families eating leaves to survive,” he said.
Griffiths urged the international community to intervene to avert another cycle of violence such as the one Darfur experienced in the early 2000s when it was the scene of genocidal war.
Ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum of discrimination. Former dictator Omar al-Bashir’s government was accused of retaliating by arming local nomadic Arab tribes, known as Janjaweed, who targeted civilians. The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF.
“Darfur is rapidly spiraling into a humanitarian calamity. The world cannot allow this to happen. Not again,” Griffiths said.
At least 41 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of 41 people, including 38 students, following an attack by suspected rebels on secondary school near the border with Congo, the local mayor said Saturday.
The victims included the students, one guard and two members of the local community who were killed outside the school, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Mayor Selevest Mapoze told The Associated Press. An unknown number of people were abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous border into Congo after the raid on Friday night.
Also Read: At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
Mapoze said that while some of the students suffered fatal burns when the rebels set fire to a dormitory, others were shot or hacked with machetes.
Police said that rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, who have been launching attacks for years from their bases in volatile eastern Congo, carried out the raid on Lhubiriha Secondary School in the border town of Mpondwe.
The school, co-ed and privately owned, is located in the Ugandan district of Kasese, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Congo border.
Also Read: In Uganda, a recent ban on charcoal making disrupts a lucrative but destructive business
"A dormitory was set on fire and a food store looted. So far 25 bodies have been recovered from the school and transferred to Bwera Hospital," police said in a statement, adding that eight others were in critical condition.
Police said Ugandan troops tracked the attackers into Congo's Virunga National Park. The military confirmed in a statement that Ugandan troops inside Congo "are pursuing the enemy to rescue those abducted."
Joe Walusimbi, an official representing Uganda's president in Kasese, told The Associated Press over the phone that some of the victims "were burnt beyond recognition."
Also Read: In Uganda, a recent ban on charcoal making disrupts a lucrative but destructive business
Winnie Kiiza, an influential political leader and a former lawmaker from the region, condemned the "cowardly attack" on Twitter. She said "attacks on schools are unacceptable and are a grave violation of children's rights," adding that schools should always be "a safe place for every student."
The ADF has been accused of launching many attacks in recent years, targeting civilians, in remote parts of eastern Congo.
The ADF has long opposed the rule of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. security ally who has been in power since 1986.
The group was established in the early 1990s by some Ugandan Muslims, who said they had been sidelined by Museveni's policies. At the time, the rebels staged deadly attacks in Ugandan villages as well as in the capital, including a 1998 attack in which 80 students were massacred in a town not from the scene of the latest attack.
Also Read: Recycling lake litter, Ugandan makes innovative tourist boat
A Ugandan military assault later forced the ADF into eastern Congo, where many rebel groups are able to operate because the central government has limited control there.
The group has since established ties with the Islamic State group.
In March , at least 19 people were killed in Congo by suspected ADF extremists.
Ugandan authorities for years have vowed to track down ADF militants even outside Ugandan territory. In 2021, Uganda launched joint air and artillery strikes in Congo against the group.
At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
Suspected Ugandan rebels with ties to the Islamic State group attacked a school near the Congo border, killing at least 25 people, abducting others and setting a dormitory on fire, officials said Saturday.
Police said the rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, who have been launching attacks for years from their bases in volatile eastern Congo, carried out the raid late Friday on Lhubiriha Secondary School in the border town of Mpondwe.
Also Read: At least 15 people killed and dozens injured in bus crash in Mali
The school, co-ed and privately owned, is located in the Ugandan district of Kasese, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Congo border.
"A dormitory was set on fire and a food store looted. So far 25 bodies have been recovered from the school and transferred to Bwera Hospital," police said in a statement, adding that eight others were in critical condition.
Also Read: In Uganda, a recent ban on charcoal making disrupts a lucrative but destructive business
A government official and a military spokesman said others were abducted.
It was not immediately clear if all of the victims were students.
Police said Ugandan troops tracked the attackers into Congo's Virunga National Park. The military confirmed in a statement that Ugandan troops inside Congo "are pursuing the enemy to rescue those abducted."
Also Read: Recycling lake litter, Ugandan makes innovative tourist boat
Joe Walusimbi, an official representing Uganda's president in Kasese, told The Associated Press over the phone that authorities were trying to verify the number of victims and those abducted.
"Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition," he said.
Winnie Kiiza, an influential political leader and a former lawmaker from the region, condemned the "cowardly attack" on Twitter. She said "attacks on schools are unacceptable and are a grave violation of children's rights," adding that schools should always be "a safe place for every student."
The Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, has been accused of launching many attacks in recent years, targeting civilians, in remote parts of eastern Congo.
The ADF has long opposed the rule of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. security ally who has been in power since 1986.
The group was established in the early 1990s by some Ugandan Muslims, who said they had been sidelined by Museveni's policies. At the time, the rebels staged deadly attacks in Ugandan villages as well as in the capital, including a 1998 attack in which 80 students were massacred in a town not from the scene of the latest attack.
A Ugandan military assault later forced the ADF into eastern Congo, where many rebel groups are able to operate because the central government has limited control there.
The group has since established ties with the Islamic State group.
In March , at least 19 people were killed in Congo by suspected ADF extremists.
Ugandan authorities for years have vowed to track down ADF militants even outside Ugandan territory. In 2021, Uganda launched joint air and artillery strikes in Congo against the group.
At least 15 people killed and dozens injured in bus crash in Mali
At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when two passenger buses collided with a truck in Mali, the government said.
The accident occurred Tuesday morning between Fana and Konobougou cities in the country's south, said Mama Djenepo, the secretary general for Mali's ministry of transport.
Also Read: At least 103 wedding guests killed when boat capsizes in northern Nigeria
"The accident involved two passenger coaches bound for Mopti, which collided with a 10-ton truck carrying livestock traveling in the opposite direction," he said, adding that the cause is believed to be speeding by tired drivers.
Also Read: 3 Bangladeshi peacekeepers injured in IED blast in Mali
While traffic accidents are common in Mali, especially during the rainy season, this is the worst in the West African nation this year, the government said. More than 680 people were killed last year in road accidents and some 8,200 were injured.
Also Read: UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali, call for urgent aid
South Sudan's sluggish peace deal and unsteady road to elections
Martha Nyanguour didn't have time to bury her husband, son or granddaughter when they were killed by gunfire in September. Instead, the 50-year-old paid her respects by throwing bits of grass over their bodies, grabbed her remaining children and fled.
It had taken years for the mother of seven to muster the courage to return to South Sudan and trust its fragile peace deal ending a civil war. But weeks after she arrived in Atar town in Upper Nile state, fighting erupted between militias aligned with government and opposition forces.
Also Read: Abducted Bangladeshi peacekeeper rescued in South Sudan
"I thought if there was peace I was supposed to go back to my land," said Nyanguour, seated under a tree in Kowach village in Canal Pigi county where she now lives with thousands of other displaced people, five days' walk through swamp water from her home village. "I thought maybe there would be peace in the future, but now, hearing gunshots daily, I think South Sudan will remain in war."
In 18 months, South Sudan is supposed to hold its first presidential elections, the culmination of the peace agreement signed nearly five years ago to pull the young nation out of fighting that killed some 400,000 people. While large-scale clashes have subsided, violence in parts of the country persists, killing 2,240 people last year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Earlier this month at least 20 people were killed and more than 50 wounded during inter-communal clashes in a United Nations protection camp in the north of the country.
Also Read: South Sudan struggles to clear mines after decades of war as people start returning home
Implementation of the peace agreement has been sluggish. The elections, originally scheduled for this year, were postponed until December 2024. Other key elements of the deal have not been implemented, sparking concern that the country could see a return to war instead of a transfer of power.
"We are going to go for (the) electoral process without meeting the benchmarks that create a conducive environment for the conduct of elections," said Edmund Yakani, executive director for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a local advocacy group. "The return of the country to violence is more evident than the country staying in stability."
A permanent constitution still has not been drafted. A census has not been conducted. Security arrangements, considered the backbone of the agreement, are only partially complete. Some 83,000 soldiers from opposition and government forces are meant to unite in a national army, but so far 55,000 have graduated and are yet to be deployed.
Also Read: Thousands of exhausted South Sudanese head home, fleeing brutal conflict
Others languish in training centers with poor conditions and little food. Soldiers say many are rarely paid. Locals involved with the security arrangements say there's so little trust that the main parties have held back key fighters, sending less seasoned ones or new recruits.
In addition, Joshua Craze, a researcher on South Sudan, says, "The peace agreement signed in 2018 has enabled the government to fragment the opposition by encouraging defections and setting commanders against each other, intensifying violent conflict."
The opposition accuses the government of lacking political will to hold elections so it can keep plundering the nation's resources, which include oil. "They don't have genuine political will to implement the peace agreement because they look at the agreement from the angle that it is crippling their powers," said Puok Both Baluang, acting press secretary for the first vice president, head of the main opposition and former rebel leader Riek Machar.
South Sudan has billions of dollars in reserves but there is little transparency on where the money goes. The country was voted the second most corrupt in the world last year by Transparency International.
The international community is exasperated with South Sudan's lack of progress.
At a press conference in May, United Nations representative Nicholas Haysom cautioned that the conditions did not currently exist to hold transparent, free and fair elections. But some diplomats are concerned that another extension to the peace deal would send a negative message to South Sudanese citizens, investors and aid donors.
The government says it's serious about the peace process and will hold elections on time. During a conference in May on reconciliation and healing, President Salva Kiir vowed that "I will never take South Sudan and its people to war again."
The capital, Juba, appears peaceful. Billboards of Kiir and Machar shaking hands above the words "peace, unity, reconciliation and development" line the streets. Children of the political elites are returning with money and opening trendy restaurants, and construction is booming.
But outside the capital is a different reality.
The fighting that killed Nyanguour's family last year also sent tens of thousands fleeing, part of the highest displacement levels since the peace agreement was signed, according to a report by a U.N. panel of experts. It said government and opposition forces played facilitating roles in the violence.
The conflict in Upper Nile cut off access to healthcare, with some severely wounded people having to travel up to four days by canoe to the closest clinic, aid workers said. "The biggest issue was accessibility. It was hard to bring in supplies," said Kudumreng David, a supervisor for the International Medical Corps in Kowach.
Food has also become scarce as fighting worsens conditions after years of floods and cuts in food aid. In Kowach, some children rip leaves from trees into a pot for their only meal of the day.
Many people outside Juba said they didn't even know elections were set for next year.
"We heard there's peace but it hasn't reached here," said Roda Awel, a resident of Kowach. "People are still afraid."
Sudan's government declares UN envoy ‘persona non grata’
The United Nations envoy to Sudan, a key mediator in the country's brutal conflict, is no longer welcome in the African country, Sudanese authorities say.
A terse statement issued by Sudan's Foreign Ministry late Thursday comes just weeks after the head of the country's military, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, demanded in a letter to envoy Volker Perthes that he should be removed from his post.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been notified that Perthes has been formally declared "persona non grata," the Foreign Ministry said.
Also read: Abducted Bangladeshi peacekeeper rescued in South Sudan
Since Apr. 15, Sudan's military, headed by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have been locked in a violent power struggle that has killed more than 860 civilians, according to Sudan's Doctors' Syndicate which tracks civilian casualties. The actual death tally is likely to be much higher.
Perthes has been a key mediator in Sudan since being appointed as special envoy in 2021, first during the country's failed attempts to transition to democracy and then as relations between the military and the RSF deteriorated. Fighting exploded last month.
Neither the UN nor Volker immediately commented.
Also read: US, Saudi Arabia call for warring sides in Sudan to extend ‘imperfect’ cease-fire
In recent months, the German diplomat has received death threats and numerous calls to resign. In his letter last month, Burhan accused Perthes of "being partisan," and negatively contributing to pre-war talks between the generals and pro-democracy groups in the weeks building up to the conflict.
Responding to these allegations, Volker told The Associated Press that those who threatened him were marginal "extremists" and that there is a wide appreciation of UN efforts in Sudan, which has relocated its headquarters to the coastal city of Port Sudan.
The conflict between the two generals has reduced Khartoum to an urban battlefield, with many districts of the city without running water or electricity. There have been reports of widespread looting and sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, which have seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which didn't respond to repeated requests for comment.
Also read: Sudan military ruler seeks removal of UN envoy in letter to UN chief, who is 'shocked' by the demand
On Wednesday, 297 children were rescued from an orphanage in Sudan's capital after being trapped there while fighting raged outside, UNICEF said. The evacuation came after 71 children died from hunger and illness in the facility since mid-April.