On March 4th, the Sudanese government began revoking the licenses of NGOs operating in Sudan and, specifically, in Darfur. All told, 13 international and 3 Sudanese NGOs were ordered to cease operations. Many of these organizations have had financial and material assets seized, including one or two warehouses of food belonging to the World Food Program.
The UN credits these agencies as “…key to maintaining a lifeline to 4.7 million Sudanese people who receive aid in Darfur.” The 13 international organizations accounted for “at least half” of all humanitarian operations in Darfur and were “vital partners” for U.N. humanitarian efforts in the region. UN Humanitarian Coordinator John Holmes warns that neither the UN nor the Sudanese government have the resources to compensate for the loss of these NGOs. Among the numerous problems facing the now-hamstrung humanitarian effort, the most pressing are water and sanitation along with health services—an area that is especially critical considering the meningitis outbreak in Kalma camp, home to some 90,000 internally displaced persons.
The gap in services created by the expulsion of aid groups has put over 1 million people in the Darfur region at imminent risk of dehydration, starvation, and disease. Despite appeals from the UN, the Sudanese government has stated that the decision to expel these relief agencies is “irreversible.”
In response to this escalating humanitarian crisis, the Save Darfur Coalition called on President Obama to pressure the Sudanese government to reinstate the aid agencies expelled from Darfur. In a letter co-signed by over 50 coalition partners, the groups said that the administration should urgently undertake a sustained diplomatic effort to resolve the Darfur crisis and restore peace to all of Sudan. The full text of the letter and the associated press statement can be found here.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
