KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- French medical aid agency Doctors of the World was thrown out of Sudan for allegedly sharing intelligence with rebel groups in Darfur, officials said.
South Darfur Gov. Abdel Hamid Moussa Kasha charged that Doctors of the World of sharing intelligence with the Sudan Liberation Movement and accused troops loyal to the government in Khartoum of sexual assault, CNN International reports.
The aid group claims it's a humanitarian agency working to assist vulnerable populations in war-torn countries. Officials in Darfur, however, said the group was making false claims and undermining peace efforts.
International rights groups raised repeated concerns that preparations for a July declaration of independence for South Sudan overshadow the conflict in Darfur. A January referendum for South Sudan's secession was part of a comprehensive peace deal reached in 2005. It ended one of the bloodiest civil wars in modern history in Sudan.
French aid group Doctors Without Borders said in a statement that its work continued in the region despite the dispute with its counterparts. Doctors Without Borders said it was working on aid and a nutrition program in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in South Darfur.
