Red Cross suspends work in Sudan after government says not complying with laws

KHARTOUM, Sudan – A Red Cross official in Sudan says that the organization has suspended its work there after the Sudanese government said that the organization was not complying with national laws.

Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross's delegation in Sudan, Jean-Christophe Sandoz, said in a statement Sunday that the group is now in discussions with authorities on how to lift the suspension, which took effect Saturday.

The state news agency SUNA quoted Khartoum's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner as saying that the request to suspend the Red Cross' work came after the commission noticed that the ICRC was operating outside the framework provided by international agreements. It wasn't clear to which work he was referring.

In the statement, Red Cross said it has over 700 staff in Sudan, locals and expatriates.