The obstruction of humanitarian aid is often used by the Sudanese government to target Darfuri civilians without drawing substantial international attention. The government in Khartoum routinely restricts the access and operations of multiple humanitarian organizations in Darfur. These restrictions are severely detrimental to civilians in desperate need of the food, water, and medical services provided by aid organizations.

In January, the Sudanese government began another round of humanitarian obstruction, when the Governor of West Darfur forced Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to suspend its operations due to allegations that they were distributing bibles. Since this suspension, CRS has been involved in negotiations with the Government of Sudan to regain access to West Darfur where it distributes food to over 400,000 civilians. Last Saturday, March 26, CRS announced the closure of its food programs in Darfur and according the press release, “…few, if any, organizations left in West Darfur [are] able to replace the services that will be lost.” Shortly after this release was published, the Sudanese government relented and has permitted CRS to resume their operations.

Not every aid agency is as fortunate as CRS. In February, the Sudanese government expelled Medecins du Monde (MDM), a provider of primary health services to nearly 100,000 civilians in eastern Jebel Marra, a tumultuous region that has seen intense fighting since February 2010. MDM was the last humanitarian group operating in eastern Jebel Marra, which has been off limits to humanitarian groups and peacekeepers for nearly a year. In addition to the expulsion, the National Intelligence Security Services (NISS) also arrested 12 of the organizations local staff, several of whom are still held at a NISS compound in Nyala and accused the organization of spying for rebel forces. In the aftermath of the organization’s expulsion, civilians in eastern Jebel Marra currently have no access to medical aid services.

The Government of Sudan has historically used the expulsion of aid organizations as a tactic to oppose international intervention. In March 2009, 13 international and three domestic aid organizations were expelled from Darfur after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The expelled organizations had nearly 6,500 staff, comprising about 40% of the humanitarian workforce in Darfur, providing aid and services to more than 1.1 million Darfuri civilians. After the ICC’s issuance of a second arrest warrant, this time charging al-Bashir with three counts of genocide, he responded by expelling several additional humanitarian personnel.

The UN estimates that nearly 4.7 million civilians continue to be directly affected by the conflict in Darfur, at least 1.9 million of which have been forced into IDP camps with little to no access to resources or supplies aside from international aid. These limitations illustrate the severe impact that the government’s expulsion of humanitarian organizations has had on the Darfuri people.