Press statement
Thursday, 19th of March 2009
For immediate release

Sudanese government makes disastrous situation even worse

The expulsion of international NGOs from the Darfur region of Sudan will leave hundreds of thousands of people without essential services and raise the risk of further atrocities says Council for International Development executive director David Culverhouse.

The Sudanese government has expelled 13 development agencies in what is seen as a tit for tat move after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is accused of intentionally directing attacks against civilians, resulting in murders, rapes, torture and the forcible transfer of large numbers of civilians and the pillaging of their property.

“NGOs operating in Darfur provide water, food and shelter to many of the 4.7 million refugees in the region. An international presence also deters further attacks against the civilians by government-backed militias,” Mr. Culverhouse says.

“It is also deeply worrying that three Sudanese NGOs concerned with human rights have been closed down by the government, and that human rights activists have been detained and interrogated by security forces. NGOs in Sudan have also had computers, vehicles and other assets stolen by Sudanese government officials.”

“CID calls upon the New Zealand government to take a proactive stance on this issue in all international bodies. The on-going humanitarian crisis in Darfur is a test for the international community’s willingness to defend the victims of conflict and human rights abuses and to demonstrate that institutions such as the ICC are more than toothless tigers,” says Mr. Culverhouse.

ENDS

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