The Sudanese Government yesterday ordered the chief UN envoy to leave the country within three days after he wrote that the Sudanese army had suffered serious losses in fighting with rebels in northern Darfur.

The official Sudan News Agency said the order was issued against the envoy, Jan Pronk of the Netherlands, because he had demonstrated "enmity to the Sudanese Government and the armed forces" and was involved in unspecified activities "that are incompatible with his mission."

The Foreign Ministry informed the UN office in Khartoum in writing that Pronk's mission "has come to an end" and he "must leave Sudanese territory within 72 hours starting from midday (yesterday)," the official agency said.

Sudan's government has been at odds with Pronk over Western efforts to get Sudan to allow a UN force of 20,000 troops to take over peacekeeping in Darfur a move President Omar al-Bashir has flatly rejected as a bid to restore colonial rule.

Tension between the government and Pronk escalated after he wrote in his personal Web blog this month that Sudanese army losses in recent fighting in northern Darfur "seem to have been very high."

"Reports speak about hundreds of casualties in each of the two battles, many wounded soldiers and many taken as prisoner," he said, adding that morale was low among Sudanese troops in northern Darfur and "some generals have been sacked; soldiers have refused fighting."

On Thursday, the Sudanese armed forces said those remarks amounted to "psychological war against the Sudanese army" and declared that Pronk was "persona non-grata." One day later the military demanded an official apology.

According to the official news agency, the government said it was "committed to co-operate" with the UN and would work with Pronk's replacement "in accordance with signed treaties with the UN and the current principles of international law."

There was no immediate comment from the United Nations, and efforts to reach the UN office in Khartoum by telephone were unsuccessful.

In another development, Sudan has lifted the state of emergency in its eastern region and released prisoners following a peace deal signed last week, state media and eastern politicians said yesterday.

"They lifted it two days ago," said Ahmed Mohamed Mokhtar, president of the east's main political Beja Congress Party. "It was not announced but we can see they have taken the police from the streets," he said from Port Sudan.

Police checkpoints are the most visible symbol of the state of emergency, imposed in 1999 and lifted in 2005 throughout Sudan except in the east and the remote western Darfur region.

The state-owned Sudanese Media Centre said President Omar al-Bashir had lifted the state of emergency in the east and released political prisoners with a decree issued on Friday.

But Mokhtar said there were no eastern political prisoners because they had all been released before.

The deal eastern peace deal was signed in the Eritrean capital Asmara on October 14.

Source: China Daily