Aid Workers Forced From Camps

Foreign aid workers have been ordered out of key locations across Darfur as the Sudanese Government flexes its muscles before a decision today by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on whether to charge President al-Bashir with war crimes.

The six NGOs are: Oxfam, CHF, Solidarites, MSF-France, MSF-Holland, Care International.

The locations are: Abu Shouk, Gereida, Kalma, Kass, Mornei, Nertiti, Muhajiriya, Sheria, Zalingei and Zam Zam.

Some are camps, some are towns. These are major centres of displacement. Muhajiriya saw fighting last month, 17 cases of meningitis have been recorded in Nertiti in the past month and camps like Kalma and Gereida are massive – more like cities than camps.

International aid workers have been told to leave because of threat to their safety. Yet the government allowed other NGOs to leave foreign workers in the same locations.

UN officials confident they can get them all back during the next week. and operations will not be disrupted. But not a good sign as everyone awaits today’s indictment.