‘Unwise’ denial of UNITAMS advisor’s Sudan visa risks ‘severe international repercussions’

The decision by the Sudan government not to renew the residency visa of senior international advisor, Dame Rosalind Marsden, is ‘unwise’, and could lead to ‘severe repercussions from the international community”, a respected Sudanese political scientist warns.

In an interview with the Sudan Today programme on Radio Dabanga, Dr Azza Mustafa, a professor of political science at Sudanese universities, said that Tuesday’s briefing to the UN Security Council by Volker Perthes, UN Special Representative for Sudan, and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), “accurately reflects what is happening in the country”.

Dr Mustafa laments the decision by the Sudan government not to renew the residency visa of senior international advisor, Dame Rosalind Marsden, advisor of the UNITAMS mission, as “unwise”. She predicts that “it could lead to severe repercussions from the international community”.

“Sudan may return to Chapter VII [of the UN Charter] with the continued suspension of financial dealings.” She predicts that the decision not to renew Dane Rosalind’s visa will lead to more complications with the international community, explaining that “Sudan is on the verge of collapse”.

The UN Security Council intends to hold a meeting to discuss extending the mandate of the UNIATMS mission at the end of next week. UNITAMS was established on 3 June 2020, when the UNSC adopted resolution 2524 (2020). On 3 June 2021, the Security Council adopted resolution 2579 (2021) extending the mandate of UNITAMS for a further 12 months, until 3 June 2022.