KHARTOUM, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Saturday welcomed decision by the UN Security Council (UNSC) to terminate the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

"The decision came in response to Sudan's request submitted to the Security Council," Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry stressed the Sudanese government's keenness to continue constructive engagement with the UN through strengthening the role of the UN country team and cooperating with the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, the statement said.

The UNSC on Friday adopted a resolution to terminate the mandate of UNITAMS as of Dec. 3, 2023.

Resolution 2715 requests UNITAMS to immediately start on Dec. 4, 2023, the cessation of its operations and the process of the transfer of its tasks to UN agencies, funds and programs, with the objective of completing this by Feb. 29, 2024.

It decides that the liquidation of UNITAMS shall begin on March 1, 2024.

The resolution won 14 votes in favor out of the 15 Security Council members. Russia abstained.

The UNSC resolution came after the Sudanese authorities' demand last month to shut down the mission.

The relationship between UNITAMS and Sudan has been strained since the outbreak of the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. The UN secretary-general's special representative and head of UNITAMS at the time, Volker Perthes, was declared persona non grata by the Sudanese authorities in June. Perthes later resigned.

UNITAMS, established by the Security Council in June 2020, was tasked to help Sudan with its political transition after the ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Enditem

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