US blasts Sudan over expulsion of aid workers

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The rapidly expanding humanitarian crisis threatened by Sudan's expulsion of aid workers has put intense pressure on the Security Council to act Friday. The US and France have been prodding the council for quick action but opposition from members, including Sudanese allies China and Libya, have blocked attempts to reach an agreement behind closed doors. In the wake of the International Criminal Court's ordering the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, France pressed the 15-nation council to issue a non-binding statement condemning the Sudanese government's decision to expel 6,500 relief workers from 13 of the largest aid groups - roughly 40 percent of the workers from non-governmental organizations that have operating in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.