The UN’s Sudan envoy Jan Pronk, just expelled by the Khartoum government, was certainly remarkably frank in his web log. Some may question the detail in which he described events in Darfur. It was his posting that a Sudanese government force had been defeated by rebels and had low morale that caused his expulsion. Is it right for a senior UN official in a highly sensitive position to report so candidly on what he sees?

There may well be occasions when it is not. But Pronk’s position was unusual. The outside world understands too little of what is happening in Sudan, particularly in Darfur. The central government has consistently sought to minimize a tragedy that the international community can see is happening. Nevertheless, much foreign comment, even the US accusations of genocide, has been formed on the basis of superficial knowledge. With his web log, Pronk tried to set the record straight. The documents are actually remarkable, not only for the dogged work Pronk and his team have undertaken talking to an ever-increasing number of rebel factions — there are currently 11, eight of whom have broken away from each other in the recent past — but also for the considerable knowledge that he and his people had built up. That sort of dedication commands respect. However, instead of focusing on Pronk’s message, they have punished him for being the messenger. Sadly it is the only the latest misjudgment the Sudanese have made over Darfur.

It is hard to see what those who decided on the UN official’s removal imagined would be gained by it. It will deepen suspicions of government policy in Darfur at a time when the Janjaweed militias seem once again to be out of control. The recent raids on refugees camps across the border in Chad are extremely disturbing violations of international law. They threaten to destabilize an already shaky Chadian government and trigger wider conflict. Meanwhile, millions of Sudanese have been displaced and hundreds of thousands have been cut off from UN relief envoys that have been attacked by pro-government militias in recent months.

In the last web log he posted before his expulsion, Pronk praised the Sudanese government for signing the Asmara Peace Agreement with the Eastern Front rebels. He noted approvingly that this deal had been cut without outside intervention. He compared its clarity to the hard-won half-success of the Abuja agreement on Darfur in which the international community had played a role. Unfortunately, reports this week show that the shaky peace agreement that never fully took hold has by now essentially collapsed.

Darfur’s rebellion and tragedy spring from historic rivalries and feudal arrangements. Unlike the rebellions in the south and east, Darfur’s insurgents have no powerful support from a neighboring state. The insurgency began with an unheard appeal to Khartoum. Khartoum seems still not to be listening. Even to a UN official who reported objectively. Its deafness can only make matters worse.