Tensions between the United Nations and the government of Sudan have risen to new levels, as the UN Special Envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, was expelled from the country earlier this week after statements made in his personal blog were considered a threat to Sudanese national security. Pronk wrote that government forces had suffered major losses in battles in the North and that "the morale in the government army in North Darfur has gone down. Some generals have been sacked; soldiers have refused to fight." The government has regarded these comments as "psychological warfare" and ordered Pronk to leave the country. Secretary General Kofi Annan adhered to their requests and asked Jan Pronk, a former member of the Dutch cabinet, to go to New York for "consultations."

International attention on the relationship between Pronk and the Sudanese government has deflected media and diplomatic attention away from the escalating horrors taking place in Darfur. To date, more than 200,000 people have died from violence, disease, and poverty since 2003. A cease-fire signed between the government and one rebel group last May has been largely ineffective, but the last few weeks have shown increased military violence throughout the region. Rebel groups have declared the cease-fire no longer in effect and have intensified both the frequency and effectiveness of attacks on government forces recently. The Security Council's August resolution to send 22,500 troops to Darfur to take over the strained African Union's peacekeeping mission has been rejected by the Sudanese government. Given the current situation with Pronk, it seems increasingly unlikely that the government will accept a United Nations force to bring peace to the region.