British government declines direct assistance

Says it will only give emergency relief to affected areas until the ongoing wars endThe British government refused on Wednesday to provide direct assistance to the Sudanese government unless it put an end to the war in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.However, the British government announced that it would provide 4.8 million pounds ($US 6 million) as emergency relief to about 315,000 people in the affected areas.Minister of state for International Development, Stephen O’Brien, said in a press conference at the British embassy in Khartoum on Tuesday, that he had conveyed his concerns for the ongoing wars in South Kordofan and Blue Nile to the Sudanese officials.O’Brien had a meeting with vice president Alhaj Adam Yusuf, governor of the Central Bank of Sudan Zubair Mohamed Khair and minister of International Cooperation Jalal Yussef.O’Brien said that during the meeting, he had focused on his government’s request to put an immediate end to the fighting in the two states and allow unimpeded access to humanitarian help in the region.