Sudanese Government Uncooperative with Foreign Aid Agencies

Amid recent clashes in Sudan and deadlocked peace talks, the UN said “the Sudanese government is “severely” restricting movements by peacekeepers in Darfur.” Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the UN Security Council that hundreds of visas are being held up for members involved in the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). With the UN’s renewed attempts to access South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun, the governor “warned international aid agencies that they will be immediately expelled if they attempt to overstep their mandate.” Haroun accused foreign aid agencies, such as the UN, of being responsible for prolonging conflict in Sudan, and believes that all humanitarian efforts should be handled by local organizations due to their more expansive knowledge of the situation on the ground. Simultaneously, Hussein Khogli, editor in chief of Al-Wan – an independent newspaper in Sudan – said the government has ordered the newspaper to be shut down and that its property will also be seized. This was the second independent newspaper the government shut down in Sudan. Furthermore, two French freelance journalists left Sudan, saying they had been expelled by the government.

Meanwhile, levels of conflict have been steadily rising both within South Sudan and along the Sudanese border, which have drawn the attention of international human rights advocates. In a recent statement, Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin of South Sudan revealed that in the most recent clashes in Jonglei, ”57 people got killed, and most of them are women and children. The men among them are only 11.” Additionally, 53 more were wounded in Wek village in Uror county in another attack.