Sudan bans UN, int'l agencies in Darfur over security reasons

Sudan on Sunday banned UN agencies and international organizations from moving in Central Darfur State, citing security reasons.

The United Nations and other international organizations have earlier complained about "significant restrictions" for them to access to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), due to continued military clashes at Jebel Marra in Sudan's Darfur region.

"The movement of the organizations is limited due to military operations, but it is temporary," Kamal-Eddin Ismail, state minister at Sudan's foreign ministry, said at a press conference Sunday.

"According to our information, there is no siege or restriction on the movement of the organizations at the area unless there are operations," he noted.

He further reiterated that the policy of the Sudanese government is generally based on facilitating the tasks of the UN organizations and agencies if they are committed to the general regulations and agreements signed with the government.

Earlier, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said in a report that "National and international humanitarian organisations are currently not able to carry out any verification or assessment of newly displaced people who arrived in Central Darfur from the Jebel Marra."

It further noted that "significant movement restrictions and the volatile security situation prevent aid organisations from ascertaining that."

In mid of last January, violent clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the rebels of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)/Abdul-Wahid Nur faction around Jebel Marra area in Sudan's Central Darfur State. Endit