FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oxfam Great Britain pulls back international staff to Khartoum while it appeals decision to revoke registration
Mar 05, 2009KHARTOUM — Oxfam Great Britain has begun to temporarily relocate international staff to Khartoum and some national staff to state capitals in Darfur while it appeals the government's decision to revoke its registration to work in Sudan.
The agency has had to hand over its laptops and communications equipment to the government. This will adversely affect its ability to carry out its work, which was reaching some 600,000 people across Darfur, in Khartoum state and the east of the country.
Oxfam GB estimates that its supply of clean water and other programmes can continue to be run by local communities and Oxfam-trained volunteers for a number of weeks but if its appeal to the government fails then its programme will have to close.
Oxfam GB's work in Darfur is its biggest emergency program in the world. It has operated in northern Sudan since 1983 and currently has 450 staff, 90 percent of whom are Sudanese. Oxfam is an independent, impartial non-governmental organization, with absolutely no links to the International Criminal Court. Oxfam does not have an opinion on the Court's activities, and our sole focus is meeting humanitarian and development needs in Sudan.
