Government Expels Aid Group From South Darfur

15 February 2011 – (South Darfur) – The government of South Darfur state on Monday expelled a French aid group, Medecins du Monde from the region, accusing it of spying on the government and supporting anti-government groups.

United Nations sources say Sudanese security raided the organizations compound in Nyala on Thursday arresting some of its staff.

Speaking to SRS on Tuesday, the minister of humanitarian affairs in South Darfur state, Suleiman Ahmed Omer said Medecins du Monde exceeded its mandate by involving itself in political issues in the state.

[Suleiman Ahmed Omer]: “The French Medicins du Monde organization started to involve itself in issues not related to the agreement we signed. It started involving itself in the politics of Sudan, it sends reports to France and America and this is documented in photos. It is supporting Darfur antigovernment movements; this is the reason behind the expulsion of this organization from the state.”

However, a leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement- Abdul Wahid’s faction Ibrahim Al-Hilu denied receiving any assistance from the expelled organization.

[Ibrahim A-Hilu]: “This is within the chain of the national congress party in the execution of genocide in Darfur and Sudan, for this reason the NCP expelled this organization as it previously did with others. This organization is specialized in providing medical service. It doesn’t have any relations with any other work. The claim by the NCP that it provides assistance or else to any movement is not true.”
Medecins du Monde's Paris-based general director Pierre Salignon told Reuters that he had not received any official notice of an expulsion.

The expelled organization was working in the eastern part of Jebel Mara.