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June 12, 2009

Aid Groups to Return to Darfur
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In Sudan, the Sudanese government has authorized several aid groups to
return to Darfur. Sudan expelled the groups in March after the
International Criminal Court charged President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
with committing war crimes in Darfur. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
John Holmes said the groups have been readmitted on the condition they
change their names and logos. Holmes also said the aid groups will
return to humanitarian crisis that worsened during their absence.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes: “However effective the
efforts of the government, United Nations and remaining NGOs have been
in preventing a further immediate crisis, they have not yet replaced and
cannot easily or rapidly replace the capacity and skills lost. Current
levels of assistance in some areas remain well below the necessary
standards to which we subscribe, and as we enter the hunger gap and
rainy season, the needs and gaps will only be further exacerbated.”



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