Mercy Corps Confirms Registration to Operate in Sudan Has Been Revoked

March 4, 2009

The global relief and development agency Mercy Corps confirms that the Government of Sudan today revoked its registration to operate.

Portland, OR - The global relief and development agency Mercy Corps confirms that the Government of Sudan today revoked its registration to operate. The Government did not offer a reason for this decision.

The agency was told that it must cease operations and prepare expatriate staff for immediate departure from the country.

Mercy Corps expressed that it deeply regrets the decision of the Sudanese government to revoke its registration. The agency remains committed to working with the government to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur, and recovery and development programming that is critical to maintaining the fragile peace in other areas of northern Sudan. Mercy Corps intends to appeal this decision under Sudanese law.

"This is a devastating blow to the many people of Sudan who rely upon us for both immediate survival and help in building more prosperous and stable futures for their families," says Mercy Corps President Nancy Lindborg. "We sincerely hope that this decision will be reversed so we can get back to the critical business of saving and improving lives."

Mercy Corps has been operating in Sudan for five years. The country has been torn apart by two conflicts, a 21-year civil war that ended in 2005 and the ongoing violence in Darfur, and many of its people remain displaced and living in desperate poverty. More information is available at mercycorps.org/countries/sudan.

In the Darfur region, Mercy Corps provides life-saving services to nearly 200,000 people who have been forced from their homes by violence and are living in displacement camps. These services include keeping camps clean, training health promoters, building and supplying schools, and providing skills training to women and other vulnerable people.

Mercy Corps takes steps to ensure that its programs are not used to further any particular political or religious agenda. The agency is completely independent of, and has no position on, the actions of the International Criminal Court.