UN denies abandoning population of Wau

The UN system in Sudan on Thursday rejected accusations that, by evacuating humanitarian personnel from Wau, capital of Bahr al-Ghazal, in the face of an ongoing military offensive on the government-held town, it had failed to assist the town’s war-affected population. “The decision to relocate humanitarian personnel from Wau was taken based on security considerations, following an SPLA offensive in Bahr al-Ghazal,” OCHA stated in a press release. Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir was on Tuesday quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying that “evacuation by foreign relief organisations of their employees from the town was an action intended to support the rebellion movement and its psychological war.” Most of the UN staff that left Wau did not return to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, but were sent to Ed Daein [Al-Duwaym; 14.00 N 32.19 E] to assist an estimated 30,000 displaced people arriving there, according to the OCHA statement on Thursday. The UN would make every effort to return to Wau as soon as conditions permitted, in order to continue with essential humanitarian work, it said. “While remaining highly committed to the provision of humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable population of the Sudan - guided by the fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, accountability and transparency - the UN reaffirms its fundamental responsibility for looking after the security of its staff,” OCHA added.