Email
Print
Save
April 25, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese security services shut down two humanitarian groups in the capital of South Darfur Nyala and arrested three aid workers from South Sudan this week.
The offices of SUDAN AID and Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) in Nyala were closed down by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) agents on Monday morning.
On the same day, the authorities closed the Catholic Church’s clinic which serves civilians and the internally displaced persons who live in the camps surrounding the state capital.
The two Sudanese groups received a notice on Sunday 22 April informing them of the closure and asking to hand over their assets to the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), Sudan’s official body overseeing all aid operation in the country.
The security agents arrested three South Sudanese working with the SUDAN AID and took them to an unknown destination.
Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO UK) condemned in a statement released today the decision of Sudanese authorities to shut down the two local aid groups who have been working in Darfur since 2004.
"SUDO UK sees no legal grounds for such an action taken by NISS and believes that closing these organizations and the clinic will add to the growing suffering of the IDPs in Darfur," the group said.
Following the indictment of President Omer al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, Sudan decided on 4 March 2009 to expel 13 international aid groups and to close down some local organisations including SUDO.
SUDAN AID and SCC were partners of SUDO and the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), which is still operating in South and Central Darfur.
(ST)
Latest Comments & Analysis
The better approach to reconciliation 2013-05-17 06:07:06 By Zechariah Manyok Biar May 16, 2013 - Some of you who might have read my previous articles know that I promised some weeks ago to write separately on the topic of peace and reconciliation that (...)
OIL: is it a curse or a blessing in South Sudan? 2013-05-17 06:04:54 By Jacob K. Lupai May 16, 2013 - In the late 70s when for the first time oil was discovered in Southern Sudan there was euphoria that poverty would be a thing of the past, replaced by a high (...)
The misapprehension of peace in the context of conflict resolution 2013-05-16 11:40:39 By Ngor Arol Garang May 16, 2013 - Political leaders and citizens with an interest in politics within the Bahr el Ghazal region will come together for a one week conference on Wednesday, where (...)
MORE