Sudan expels humanitarian groups
01:15, 6 March 2009
.. Posted in Development, Relief and Advocacy Efforts.. Link
The government of Sudan has ordered at least 10 humanitarian groups expelled from Darfur per the International Criminal Court's issuing of an arrest warrant for the country's president on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The non-governmental aid groups ordered out include Oxfam, CARE, Médecins Sans Frontières-Holland, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, the Norweigan Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee, Action Contre la Faim, Solidarites, and CHF International.
The groups were informed by the Sudanese government that their legal registrations have been revoked, were given a list of assets for seizure by the government (offices have been sealed, and vehicles, computers, even drilling machines have been taken) and told they must leave north Sudan, which includes Darfur, "with immediate effect." Some local aid workers have been arrested. The local bank accounts of some groups have been blocked. Sudanese media is making false claims that the groups were engaged in political activities to create public support for the expulsion.
Aid groups are protesting, as they have no connection to the court and their absence will inevitably lead to a further crisis for many hundreds of thousands of already-desperate Sudanese who need such basics as shelter, food and clean water, as well as security.
