4 Foreign Aid Groups Expelled from Sudan

Sudan has expelled four foreign aid groups working in the country's east, a source at the government's Humanitarian Affairs Commission told Agence France Presse on Friday.

"HAC decided to expel four international NGOs working in eastern Sudan because they failed in their planned projects," said the source, asking not to be named.

"Also, there is a weakness in these international NGOs," the source added without elaborating.

He identified the groups as Save the Children Sweden, GOAL of Ireland, a Japanese humanitarian group and another Irish organization.

"There's been no explanation for this," said a diplomatic source, who clarified that the government is only seeking to cancel the aid groups' activities in eastern Sudan, not in the rest of the country.

The source, asking for anonymity, confirmed that GOAL and Save the Children Sweden were among those affected.

A foreign aid source said his group is among several notified that the government wishes them to stop work in the country's east.

"That is correct. We received a letter" on Thursday," he said.