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John Holmes, who heads up the UN' s humanitarian operations, briefed reporters on the current food and emergency aid crisis in Sudan. Some 16 national and international Non Governmental Organizations have been kicked out of the country due to President Al-Bashir's anger at being called to the International Criminal Court.

Over 1.1 million people have been affected by these recent actions. On the question of genocide, Holmes replied, "The Secretary-General has issued a report which will debated by the General Assembly and there will be interventions --aid cannot be provided unless there is cooperation with the government. Governments can be part of the problem--but the UN in terms of the responsibility to protect, is doing its job."

"The UN has continuously urged these decisions to be reversed," he added.

An assessment released by the UN Special Representative in Sudan this morning underscored, currently, over 850,000 people are still receiving potable water, and up to 650,000 do not have access to full health care.

"What the assessment essentially shows, while efforts are being made to plug some of the gaps, these are band-aid solutions and not long term solutions," Holmes added.

In nutritional and health, there are significant numbers of malnourished and diseased areas. People also need non-food items, like cooking equipment--and the rainy season is coming up in two months. Staffing, surveillance, monitoring and financial and bureaucratic impediments remain key concerns.

"We also need to rebuild trust and rebuild an operating environment. This technical joint assessment is a first in many steps. The key tests still lie ahead," said Holmes. A local aid worker from Canada was shot dead this morning in Darfur and security is a serious concern. When prompted on Al-Bashir 's actions, Holmes replied, "we cannot expect these problems to be resolved quickly. This is a long-term problem."

The Sudanese government through its UN Ambassador has denied there are gaps and that illnesses including meningitis have been exaggerated by the international media. Holmes said the UN is now "looking for ways to fill the gaps."