4 March 2009: IRC Forced to Close Aid Programmes in Darfur, North and East Sudan

Civil war has wracked Sudan for much of the period since independence in 1956. Fighting has taken place between the north and south and in the east, while violence in the western region of Darfur has led to one of the world's worst, ongoing humanitarian crises.

The International Rescue Committee first launched an emergency response in Sudan in 1981 to help communities affected by war and we have been one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid in Sudan for more than 25 years. Today, we continue to deliver emergency relief and post-conflict assistance across the country.

In Darfur, the IRC is providing life-saving services such as health, water and sanitation to highly vulnerable people displaced by ongoing fighting and the local communities who support them. We support more than 650,000 people affected by the the crisis in which 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.

In North and East Sudan, the IRC carries out post-conflict programmes to help more than 1.5 million people in Red Sea State, Kassala, Blue Nile State and the Nuba Mountains. We build the capacity of local communities to identify and meet long-term needs, including rebuilding health systems.

In Southern Sudan, the IRC supports the return of refugees and displaced people in four states. We work with returnees and local communities in four core areas: healthcare, governance and rights, child and youth protection, and gender-based violence. The IRC is committed to partnering with the Government of Southern Sudan and local organisations.