Sudan to take actions against local NGOs over US funding

August 23, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities are planning to take action against 15 local NGOs after the emergence of a report revealing the amounts of fund they received from a US donor.

The London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published a report on Wednesday quoting a “high-ranking” Sudanese official as saying that they intend to take steps against the civil society groups named as recipients of nearly US$700 million in funds from the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

He told the newspaper that current laws prohibit Sudanese organizations from receiving aid from foreign parties unless it is within regulations approved by the authorities.

Al-Hayat’s report follows the appearance on NED’s website of a list detailing the names and amounts of fund it gave to 15 Sudanese NGOs to implement projects focusing on human rights, peaceful co-existence and gender equality among others.

The anonymous official claimed that the authorities had already received reports on the names of those organizations before NED published the details on its website. He added that the activities of these organizations will be subject to suspicion and will not be allowed to “achieve U.S. goals” and “undermine the domestic front”

The official also accused NED, which is mainly funded by different branches of the US government, of meddling in Sudan’s internal affairs.

Sudanese authorities are known for being highly suspicious of the activities of NGOs.

In 2008, Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid groups and suspended a few local NGOs accusing them of cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for President Omer Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the western region of Darfur. The charge of genocide was later added to the charges.

(ST)