Sudan today ordered the top UN envoy, Jan Pronk, to leave the country within three days following comments he made that the army's morale was low after suffering two major defeats in the violent Darfur region.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig said Mr Pronk had until mid-day Wednesday to leave.
"The reason is the latest statements issued by Mr Pronk on his Web site regarding severe criticism of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the fact that he said the government of Sudan is not implementing the Darfur peace agreement," al-Sadig added.
He said the Foreign Ministry met with Pronk on Sunday and had informed him of its decision.
Mr Pronk has previously had problems with the government because of comments he published on his Web log www.janpronk.nl. The latest blog entry said Darfur rebels had beaten the army in two major battles in the last two months.
He said generals had been sacked, morale was low and soldiers were refusing to fight in North Darfur. The army was furious and issued a statement on Friday calling Pronk a danger to the nation's security.
One army source said they were asking President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the commander-in-chief
of the army, to expel Mr Pronk.
Mr Pronk 's spokeswoman declined comment. UN officials in New York were not immediately available to react to the decision.
Mr Pronk (66), has been Secretary-General Kofi Annan's top envoy in Sudan for nearly two years. He was formerly the Dutch minister of environment and development cooperation.
Mr Pronk is known in Sudan for his dedication to his job but also his blunt comments, which irked some parties. Sudanese privately call him the "governor-general" of Khartoum, a reference to the former British colonial ruler.