A Crisis Looms Large in Darfur

Yesterday the United Nations and the Government of Sudan released a joint assessment that begins to calculate the enormous humanitarian implications that expelling thirteen aid groups from Sudan will have on civilians in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur region. The estimates are grim: more than a million people will go without food rations by May and water could run out in some camps for internally displaced persons within weeks. Human Rights First has called on the Government of Sudan to reinstate the 13 aid groups it expelled and three national agencies it dissolved. We have also urged the U.S. government, the League of Arab States and the African Union to do more to help resolve the approaching humanitarian emergency that is being orchestrated by the Sudanese government.

Discouragingly, the United Nations Security Council has failed to take decisive action on the expulsion of the aid groups, thereby once again failing to protect civilians in Darfur. Deep divisions within the Council continue to prevent the robust response that is warranted. One hopes that the assessment released yesterday will compel Sudan’s traditional allies on the Security Council such as China, Russia and Libya to put their political allegiances aside and do all they can to pressure Khartoum to reverse the expulsion orders.

New Special Envoy for Sudan Appointed by Obama

Human Rights First welcomes the appointment of retired Air Force General Scott Gration as President Obama's special envoy for Sudan. The organization has been pressing for the appointment of a special envoy since President Obama arrived to office. We hope that Mr. Gration’s mandate is able to address issues related to Sudan in Chad and the Central African Republic; without such a mandate his work will be compromised. The issues Mr. Gration must address with urgency include:
- Pressing the Government of Sudan to reinstate the thirteen aid organizations it expelled and three national agencies it dissolved in Sudan;
- Ensuring that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan gets back on track;
- Helping to facilitate the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur—called UNAMID—and enhancing its impact on the ground;
- Supporting the Darfur peace process being headed by UN-AU joint chief mediator Djibril Bassole.

Khartoum Must Allow Aid Organizations to Fully Resume Operations in Sudan

Speculation has been building for weeks as to whether or not Sudanese president General Omar al-Bashir would retaliate if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest. Today, shortly after the ICC announced an arrest warrant for al-Bashir, the Government of Sudan began revoking the operating licenses for some of the humanitarian aid organizations providing life-saving relief to civilians in Darfur.

This is an extremely disturbing development that potentially threatens the lives of millions of people in Darfur and, indeed, throughout Sudan. It is critically important that the international community (in particular the permanent members of the Security Council— the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia) express outrage at the Government of Sudan’s actions and demand that it reinstate the operating licenses for the aid organizations. Of equal importance is the need for the international community to make clear that the Sudanese Government’s actions are not the fault of the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for General al-Bashir. Rather, these actions further confirm the need for justice and accountability at the highest levels of the Government of Sudan for the atrocities that have been committed in Darfur.

The Government of Sudan has been in diplomatic overdrive for the past few months, mounting a robust campaign to pressure the Security Council to defer the ICC's proceedings against General al-Bashir. Khartoum's decision to revoke the operating licenses of some aid organizations appears to be the latest pernicious manifestation of that campaign. It would be a serious mistake for the Security Council to take Khartoum’s bait and make such a tradeoff as it would only further empower the government. Indeed, the Government of Sudan has been effectively running circles around the international community for years on matters related to humanitarian aid and civilian protection in Darfur and it must end.

Below are statements released by two aid organizations that were notified today by the Government of Sudan that their operating licenses had been revoked.

Oxfam Great Britain:
International aid agency Oxfam GB confirmed that the Sudanese government today (4 March 2009) revoked its licence to operate in northern Sudan. The agency said it is appealing the decision and hopes the matter can be resolved quickly. The agency urged the Government of Sudan to allow it to continue its vital humanitarian efforts, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives.

Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's International Director, said:

"If Oxfam's registration is revoked, it will affect more than 600,000 Sudanese people whom we provide with vital humanitarian and development aid, including clean water and sanitation on a daily basis. 400,000 of them are affected by the ongoing conflict in Darfur - where people continue to flee from violence and the humanitarian needs remain enormous. It will also affect another 200,000 poor people in the east of the country and Khartoum state."

Oxfam GB has operated in northern Sudan since 1983 and currently has 450 staff, 90% of whom are Sudanese. Oxfam is an independent, impartial non-governmental organisation, with absolutely no links to the ICC. Oxfam does not have an opinion on the Court's activities, and our sole focus is meeting humanitarian and development needs in Sudan.

Save the Children UK:
Ken Caldwell, Save the Children UK’s director of international operations, said:

“Save the Children UK has received a letter from the Sudanese authorities asking us to suspend our operations in Sudan. This has very worrying implications for the 50,000 children we are currently supporting in Khartoum and the north-east of the country. These are some of Sudan’s most vulnerable children - many are living in camps having been forced to flee their homes by the ongoing conflict.

“Save the Children UK is providing essential support to these children and their families, helping to protect them from abuse, get them access to clean water and get them back into school. We don’t know what the outcome of these developments will be, but we do know that if we are forced to stop our work the lives of thousands of children could be at risk.”