US says UN workers in Sudan should be allowed free movement

WASHINGTON, Nov 12, 2004 (AP) — The State Department urged Sudanese government Friday to ensure unrestricted access for humanitarian workers and for assistance to victims of violence in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

The appeal followed a decision by the U.N. refugee agency to pull its staff from part of Darfur to protest government restrictions on their ability to move freely.

Jean-Marie Fakhouri, Darfur chief for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Thursday the aid workers in Nyala, southern Darfur, had been unable to leave the city since Oct. 20.