MSF seeks assurances before returning to North Darfur

The staff of the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who were evacuated from two locations in the western Sudanese state of North Darfur, may return to the area if they are assured improved security on the ground, a spokeswoman said.

"It is quite an insecure area to work in," Susan Sandars told IRIN. "We are talking to all parties in the area to seek more clarity on the situation before we can consider returning."

MSF was forced to evacuate staff from Tawila and Shangil Tobaya after several violent assaults, including two in one week, when armed men entered the MSF compounds at night. They threatened staff with guns and stole money, including the salaries of local staff, and other valuables.

The departure of the aid workers has left at least 65,000 people without medical assistance. Most are internally displaced.

"After these violent attacks, we have had to suspend activities and evacuate all our staff from Tawila and Shangil Tobaya," said Mónica Camacho, MSF head of mission in Darfur. "It is impossible for our teams to work and provide medical aid without a minimum guarantee of security and respect for humanitarian work."

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes condemned the attacks.

"The armed opposition groups in Darfur have a clear obligation to guarantee the personal and physical security of relief workers and access to vulnerable populations," he said in a statement. "The Sudanese government has a responsibility to ensure security throughout their territory."

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 180 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked in Darfur this year, 145 aid workers kidnapped and nine killed.

"We are continuing to work in other areas of Darfur," Sandars said on 4 August. "But when incidents like this happen, our immediate response is to assess the safety of our staff."

In June, humanitarian workers said the situation for aid agencies in Darfur had deteriorated, reducing their ability to reach people in need to an 18-month low.

"When it comes to hijackings, compound invasions, office invasions, attacks on humanitarians, abduction of humanitarians - in the first six months of this year the statistics are the same as for all of last year," Mike McDonagh, head of OCHA Sudan, said.

eo/mw