Sudan closes down two local aid groups in South Darfur
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)