The International Rescue Committee says the Government of Sudan has ordered the closure of its humanitarian aid programs in Darfur as well as North and East Sudan - a decision that puts at risk the lives of 1.75 million men, women and children who depend on the IRC's lifesaving programs.

Other aid organizations received similar orders to suspend their services.

The IRC received notice today that its license to operate in Darfur and the North and East of Sudan had been revoked. No explanation was provided.

The directive shuts down IRC medical care, water, sanitation, and education programs and other vital services for some 650,000 people in Darfur and a further 1.1 million people in North and East Sudan.

"We are extremely distressed by the forced closure of our aid operations," says George Rupp, the IRC's president and CEO. "It appears the international aid effort in the region is being shut down and that raises grave concerns about the welfare of millions of Sudanese people who rely on humanitarian aid for survival."

The IRC hopes the safety of all humanitarian workers in Sudan will be given priority and guaranteed.

The IRC has been one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid in Darfur since 2004 and the North and East of Sudan since 1981. It is an independent, impartial, non-sectarian global relief organization and has no affiliation with the International Criminal Court or any political, religious, governmental or armed movements. Its mission in Sudan is entirely humanitarian in nature.

"We have been delivering aid to vulnerable people in Sudan for 28 years and remain committed to helping Sudanese communities across the country recover and rebuild," says Rupp.

More from IRC media office at: http://www.theirc.org/news

Or please contact: Melissa Winkler, +1 212-551-0972 / +1 646-734-0305, or Joanne Offer, +254 737 800 028.