|TOP|Christian Aid has condemned the recent closure of the offices of its partner agency, the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO), in west Darfur.

The Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the government agency which oversees all humanitarian activity in Darfur, shut down SUDO offices last Sunday citing a new bill covering the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as justification for its latest action against SUDO, reported Christian Aid on Thursday. This is the first time the new “Organisation of Humanitarian and Voluntary Work Act” has been invoked.

“We totally condemn this latest attack on the work of humanitarian agencies in Darfur,” said Mike Noyes, manager of the Christian Aid East and Horn of Africa Programme, in a statement released by the group on Thursday.

“Our work in the region is increasingly difficult because of the deteriorating security situation. The use of this NGO bill is just another tool of the government of Sudan to restrict our purely humanitarian work.”

|AD|The humanitarian agency has been ordered to hand over all assets of its offices in Zalingei, shut down its health and nutrition centre and food distribution unit. It has also been ordered to provide the HAC with a full report of its income and expenditures.

According to Christian Aid, the bill has been passed by parliament but has not yet been signed by the president, “raising questions of its legality.”

The SUDO office in Zalingei was ordered to suspend all its activities on Jan. 16 and was later reopened following discussions with HAC. Christian Aid noted that the latest order to close the clinics and feeding centres appears to follow a pattern of harassment and obstruction of NGOs working in Darfur.

The group fears the new legislation will further undermine the work of human rights and humanitarian organisations.

Christian Aid is calling on the government of Sudan to suspend the implementation of its NGO bill pending a full consultation with civil society in Sudan.

“The government of Sudan must guarantee NGOs the full and secure access to the displaced people of Darfur,” said Noyes.






Jennifer Riley
Christian Today Correspondent