Sudan agrees to "هافيستو" as the new UN envoy.

Khartoum - The Sudanese government has approved the veteran Finnish diplomat Pekka Haavisto as the new personal envoy to Sudan, following his appointment by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Khartoum - The Sudanese government has approved the veteran Finnish diplomat Pekka Haavisto as the new personal envoy to Sudan, following his appointment by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres”

Al-Jazeera Net

Guterres' announcement on February 24 of Haavisto's appointment sparked a split in positions among political forces, civil society, and activists, while Khartoum previously avoided stating an official stance on the designation.

Al-Jazeera Net

More than 60 Sudanese political and civil society entities had issued a memorandum addressed to Guterres, expressing their full support for Lamamra, in response to a memorandum from dozens of organizations and individuals opposed to him.

Official and European sources told Al Jazeera that Guterres conducted telephone calls with senior officials in the state after the Sudanese government's hesitation to welcome Haavisto's appointment.

Welcome.

The new envoy is expected to visit Sudan within days, according to Al Jazeera Net sources, to assume his duties and to hold consultations with officials given his membership in the five-party mechanism involved in the Sudan crisis, which alongside him includes representatives of the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, and IGAD.

Officials at the Foreign Ministry, contacted by Al Jazeera Net, did not confirm nor deny Khartoum's approval to welcome the new UN envoy.

Al-Jazeera Net

The civil democratic alliance for the forces of the revolution 'Sumoud', previously welcomed Haavisto's appointment, considering it an opportunity to strengthen the United Nations' role in stopping the ongoing war, which it described as the greatest humanitarian catastrophe, and in launching a comprehensive political process.

“Khartoum - The Sudanese government has approved the veteran Finnish diplomat Pekka Haavisto as the new personal envoy to Sudan, following his appointment by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres”

Al-Jazeera Net

Muawia Al-Tom, deputy head of Sudan's former mission to the United Nations, told Al Jazeera Net that Haavisto descends from a European negotiating tradition, with direct experience in Sudan and Darfur, and that his experience blends technical mediation and multi-level work, which may reflect a UN-directed shift in approach through a figure less tied to internal African power balances and more closely aligned with European circles.

Haavisto's biography indicates he has more than 40 years of experience in politics and international affairs, having held ministerial positions in the Finnish government including foreign minister, and senior positions in the European Union and the United Nations, and he is currently a member of the Finnish Parliament.

Between 2009 and 2017, he held the post of special representative to the Finnish foreign minister for mediation and crisis management in Africa, and from 2005 to 2007, he served as the European Union's special representative in Sudan.

Al-Jazeera Net

He participated in the Darfur peace negotiations, in addition to serving as the United Nations' senior adviser for the peace process in the region during the same period.