Sudan firm to reject cross-border relief to troublesome areas

Sudan denied Wednesday its acceptance of humanitarian aid transfer from abroad to the South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas, currently witnessing military clashes.

"The government has not backtracked from its declared stance rejecting direct transfer of humanitarian assistance from abroad to the two areas," Ahmed Mohamed Adam, Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"We stand by our stance, rejecting cross-border relief. This primary stance has not changed. We will not allow entry of relief without internal review," he noted.

Sudan's local media had previously reported that Sudanese politician Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi said that "The Sudanese government has accepted that 20 percent of the humanitarian aid would pass through Ethiopia, as demanded by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N)."

The humanitarian aid file remains one of the main reasons behind the negotiations stalemate between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/northern sector, which is spearheading an armed rebellion in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas.

Khartoum rejects humanitarian aid transfer from abroad, while the SPLM/northern sector is demanding external passages to allow delivery of humanitarian aid to the Blue Nile and South Kordofan areas under its control. Endit