UN teams assess impact of expelled aid groups in southern Sudan areas
April 3, 2009 (UNITED NATIONS) – The UN Mission in Sudan has sent a mission to southern parts of the country to assess humanitarian needs following the expulsion of 13 foreign aid groups working in the country.
In apparent reaction to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against him for crimes against Humanity and war crimes, Sudan ordered on 4 and 5 March the eviction of 13 foreign NGOs and closed three other national groups. Besides Darfur these groups work in eastern and southern Sudan.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the mission to the so-called Three Areas of Sudan started work on Thursday in the Blue Nile State to review programmes which were run by the expelled NGOs and to identify gaps in the aid effort.
Some of the banned aid groups were involved in significant recovery and development operations, which benefited populations in the Three Areas of Abyei, southern Kordofan State, and southern Blue Nile State.
Four years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, efforts were focused on the return of the IDPs and refugees to the three areas without real plans to reintegrate them. Also there has been very little progress in expanding access to clear water, health care and education.
(ST)