Lack of funding forces two groups to call off humanitarian activities in W. Darfur
January 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Two international relief agencies have decided to call off their operations and shut down offices in Western Sudan due to lack of funding, announced the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Khartoum on Sunday.
IRW was providing food, health and sanitation, education, emergency shelter and household supplies and livelihood assistance to El Geneina , Kereink and Beida localities.
INTERSOS was working in Habila and Forobaranga localities implementing water sanitation and hygiene as well as peace-building activities, OCHA has said.
It said the two groups had ”handed over their activities to the respective government ministries in West Darfur.”
During the last seven months alone three international organizations stopped their activities in the state due to the lack of funding.
In May 2015 , the Fellowship for African Relief (FAR) phased out of West Darfur due to funding constraints.
Besides the shutdown of activities, a number of humanitarian partners in the State scaled down operations due to limited funding in 2015.
The UN office underscored that the lack of funding have affected the quality and quantity of services provided in IDPs camps and in return areas.
Earlier this month, the international NGO Tearfund issued a statement announcing its expulsion from Sudan by the Sudanese authorities.
Government sources said Tearfund had violated its mandate as a humanitarian agency and accused the group of interfering in Sudan’s internal affairs.
Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Ahmad Mohammad Adam told the press on Saturday the measure against Tearfund was taken upon a recommendation from the National Intelligence and Security(NISS) .
He said a number of other INGOs have expressed the desire to replace Tearfund“ in order to avoid any vacuum that may occur in the areas it used to operate within.’’
Tearfund has provided 300,000 people each year with life-saving humanitarian support , including feeding centres , clean drinking water , improved sanitation and food production, as well as providing a safe environment for children and assisting with local education.
(ST)