UN chief urges Sudan to stop NGO expulsions

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UNITED NATIONS, Mar 6 (AFP): UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon again urged Sudan Thursday not to expel NGOs operating in Darfur after an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir.

"The decision by the government of Sudan to expel 13 non-governmental organisations involved in aid operations in Darfur will, if implemented, cause irrevocable damage to humanitarian operations there," the UN chief's spokeswoman Michele Montas said in a statement.

"As such, he appeals to the government of Sudan to urgently reconsider the above decision," she added.

The ICC issued last Wednesday the warrant against Beshir, accusing him of masterminding a campaign of extermination, rape and pillage during the six-year conflict in Darfur.

UN Deputy Humanitarian Chief Katherine Bragg said Sudan's move was not consistent with prior assurances from Khartoum on the security of aid missions in the event a warrant was issued.

Bragg said the United Nations had contingency plans in the event some NGOs would cease operation but, she added, "the scale and the immediacy ... is a bit of a surprise."

Foreign agencies in Sudan provide essential aid to the estimated 2.7 million people made homeless by the war in Darfur.

The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died since conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime for a greater share of resources and power.

AP adds: The UN human rights office will examine whether Sudan's decision to expel aid groups constitutes a breach of basic human rights and possibly a war crime, a spokesman said Friday.