Sudanese official slams domestic calls for allowing aid groups into South Kordofan

May 22, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Presidential assistant of Sudan, Nafie Ali Nafie, criticised on Tuesday calls within the country for granting foreign aid groups access to the war-battered region of South Kordofan.

Khartoum has been blocking humanitarian assistance from reaching areas held by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan, citing concerns over aid falling into the hands of the insurgents and expressing skepticism over the intentions of foreign aid groups.

Some Sudanese officials indicated consent to a joint proposal by the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and Arab League (AL) to send Arab and African observers to the region in order to ensure that assistance does not go to the rebels.

But Khartoum insists that the rebels must first agree to a ceasefire while the SPLM-N accuses Khartoum of showing no seriousness to halt hostilities, citing continued aerial bombardment by Sudanese air forces.

Addressing a rally organised to provide support to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the Red Sea State of eastern Sudan, Nafie denounced domestic groups calling for the return of NGOs to South Kordofan as “trumpeters of conspiracy”.

He went on to accuse them of propagating claims of deteriorating humanitarian conditions in order to ingratiate themselves with the NGOs “from which they receive their ill-gotten dollars”.

Nafie reiterated that Khartoum would not allow aid groups into South Kordofan and described the assistance offered by these groups as “venom.”

Meanwhile, MPs from South Kordofan have called on the federal government to provide enough food supply to avert an acute shortage of food due to the war. The chairman of South Kordofan committee at the national assembly, Suliman, asked federal authorities on Tuesday to protect agricultural projects against repeated attacks by the rebels. The MP attributed the failure of the agricultural season last year to the lack of security due to renewal of fighting between government forces and the SPLM-N.

The UN Security Council warned in February that humanitarian conditions in South Kordofan are set to reach emergency levels if not addressed immediately.

Sudan denies deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the state and has refused to allow aid groups to conduct an assessment.

UN estimates that more than 200,000 citizens have been displaced in South Kordofan since the conflict there began in June last year.

(ST)