International aid agency Oxfam GB confirmed that the Sudanese government today (4 March 2009) revoked its licence to operate in northern Sudan.
The agency said it is appealing the decision and hopes the matter can be resolved quickly. The agency urged the Government of Sudan to allow it to continue its vital humanitarian efforts, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives.
Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s International Director, said:
“If Oxfam’s registration is revoked, it will affect more than 600,000 Sudanese people whom we provide with vital humanitarian and development aid, including clean water and sanitation on a daily basis. 400,000 of them are affected by the ongoing conflict in Darfur - where people continue to flee from violence and the humanitarian needs remain enormous. It will also affect another 200,000 poor people in the east of the country and Khartoum state.”
Oxfam GB has operated in northern Sudan since 1983 and currently has 450 staff, 90% of whom are Sudanese. Oxfam is an independent, impartial non-governmental organisation, with absolutely no links to the ICC. Oxfam does not have an opinion on the Court’s activities, and our sole focus is meeting humanitarian and development needs in Sudan.
Tags: Conflict, darfur, Humanitarian, sudan
Oxfam need to come very opened about its way of working through it objectives and aims to UN Security Council, to support the vulnerable community. The general community will keep on suffering if the way think are been doing cannot be of any positive impact to the community. 600,000 persons will now be affected and their life is at danger, what is the impact of the ICC warrant to the communities?
March 6th, 2009 at 5:38 am