Christian Aid is still active in Sudan helping those in need despite the recent expulsion by the government of 13 major international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
However one of our local partners, the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO), was closed along with two other Sudanese NGOs.
Christian Aid has been supporting SUDO in North Darfur to run a clinic providing healthcare to 50,000 people affected by the conflict, to rehabilitate schools, and to sponsor young people to undertake vocational training courses.
SUDO was also part of a larger programme in south and west Darfur, and had other activities across northern Sudan, assisting more than 700,000 people in total.
Expulsions leave huge gap
The Sudanese government revoked the licenses of the charities after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al Bashir on 4 March.
Khartoum alleges that the charities were providing information to the ICC and therefore violating their humanitarian mandate. SUDO is appealing the decision.
The UN says it will be impossible to fill the gap of the expelled organisations, which provided around 60% of the aid and employed 40% of the humanitarian workforce in Darfur as well as delivering much-needed services in other areas of the country.
‘These organisations provide a lifeline to 4.7 million people in Darfur alone and millions more in other areas of northern Sudan,’ the UN statement said.
‘While some 85 international NGOs operate in Darfur, without these organisations much of the aid operation literally comes to a halt.’
Our work continues
We are continuing to work with partners in Darfur providing relief and rehabilitation support to families that have been affected by years of conflict.
In the last five years we have spent more than £4 million in Darfur helping more than half a million people every year. The money has been used to:
build, equip and staff health clinics
train health workers
identify and treat malnutrition, mostly among young children, and expectant and new mothers
ensure access to clean water by drilling boreholes and repair hand pumps and hand-dug wells
construct and repair latrines in households, schools and public areas
conduct intensive health and hygiene education campaigns
repair and rehabilitate schools for internally displaced children and those in host communities
distribute seeds, tools, tree seedlings and other agricultural inputs
support peacebuilding work with people from across communities including community leaders, youth, women, teachers and students.
Christian Aid adheres to international guidelines of neutrality and impartiality in its support to and delivery of humanitarian assistance, and has no opinion on the decision of the ICC.