Governor of S. Darfur orders UN humanitarian director out, UN says

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The governor of South Darfur ordered the UN humanitarian director to leave the state, which has been the scene of recent fighting and where the United Nations plays a key role in coordinating aid to almost 1 million people, the UN said Wednesday. UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the UN official has not been ordered to leave the country by the government in Khartoum, "but rather has been forced to leave South Darfur." "This is a directive from the state governor and is being taken up... with central authorities in Khartoum," she said. "The United Nations is extremely concerned about the potential ramifications of this decision" because the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, "plays a pivotal role in South Darfur."