Tawila, July 11 (Darfur24)
The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) government has ordered Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) France to cease its operations in Tawila, North Darfur, according to health sources.
The move follows the government’s decision to suspend MSF France’s activities in areas under its control, including most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, after the organization acknowledged that some of its staff were involved in sexual abuse of Sudanese refugee women in eastern Chad.
Sources told Darfur24 that TASIS authorities instructed MSF France to stop its operations in Tawila and gave the organization until July 18 to hand over the town’s main hospital to the Sudanese Relief and Humanitarian Operations Agency (SARHO), an aid body affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces.
According to the sources, most international staff have already left Tawila. Only the country director, the medical coordinator, the human resources coordinator, and a small number of other staff remain to oversee the transfer of operations to local employees.
The sources said consultations are underway between TASIS authorities, MSF France, and UN agencies in an effort to ease tensions and minimize the impact on civilians affected by the war.
Darfur24 was unable to obtain a comment from TASIS authorities.
MSF France is one of the main providers of healthcare and non-food assistance to hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled fighting in El Fasher to Tawila.
In June, leaders at displacement sites in Tawila warned that suspending the organization’s activities could severely affect access to healthcare in the area.
Tawila, controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nur, hosts more than 700,000 displaced people, most of whom fled El Fasher and surrounding areas.