Posted By: John Steele

By Opheera McDoomWed Nov 8, 3:33 AM ET

KULBUS, Sudan (Reuters) - Sudan has tightened restrictions
on aid workers and journalists traveling to Darfur, and
analysts say the aim is to conceal renewed hostilities between
rebels and the army.
ADVERTISEMENT

var lrec_target="_top";var lrec_URL=new Array();
lrec_URL[1]="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12fbnslbr/M=540720.9558277.10292386.1442997/D=news/S=7666535:LREC/_ylt=A9FJqaB.lVJFCrcANwBn.3QA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1163047326/A=4104668/R=0/id=flash/SIG=11m6h82to/*http://www.asseenontvnetwork.com/track/click/257466/";
var lrec_fv="clickTAG=javascript:lrec_window(1)";
var lrec_swf="http://us.a2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/li/livemercial/110706_ny_lrec_swf.swf";
var lrec_altURL="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12fbnslbr/M=540720.9558277.10292386.1442997/D=news/S=7666535:LREC/_ylt=A9FJqaB.lVJFCrcANwBn.3QA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1163047326/A=4104668/R=1/id=altimg/SIG=11m6h82to/*http://www.asseenontvnetwork.com/track/click/257466/";
var lrec_altimg="http://us.a2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/li/livemercial/110706_ny_lrec_gif.gif";
var lrec_w=300;var lrec_h=250;
if (window.yzq_a == null) document.write("");if (window.yzq_a)
{
yzq_a('p', 'P=T5MAYULaS.ZikMKHCYQFfAe8SDRIwkVSlX4AAuWM&T=1838hho1e%2fX%3d1163040126%2fE%3d7666535%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d1030660789%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJTdWRhbjthaWQ7cGFzc3BvcnQ7SXQ7Z292ZXJubWVudDtoZWxwO1NVREFOO2l0O0FmcmljYTsiIHJlZnVybD0iIiB0b3BpY3M9IiI-%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dA0A949D1');
yzq_a('a', '&U=13abj7gha%2fN%3dR5sJFdFJq1w-%2fC%3d540720.9558277.10292386.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4104668');
}

Journalists have been detained, aid workers obstructed and
rules changed weekly for foreigners in the strifetorn region.

A British Sunday Times reporter this week was detained on
arrival at the main airport, initially on the grounds she was
wearing a cap belonging to a different news organization. Then
her passport was seized over alleged irregularities.

She is just one example.

"Definitely there's been a massive crackdown in the last
few months," said Leslie Lefkow of Human Rights Watch. "It's
the same old pattern of the government in trying to restrict
the flow of information."

"They've managed to conduct a massive media campaign that
is subverting the reality of what's happening in Darfur."

She said the two main targets were journalists and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Darfur has the world's
largest aid operation, with 14,000 aid workers supplying
humanitarian help to miserable camps in the region.

The stakes are high. An estimated 200,000 people have been
killed and 2.5 million displaced in fighting since mostly
non-Arab rebels took up arms in Darfur in 2003.

Khartoum and one Darfur faction signed a peace deal in May,
but violence has erupted again after a new alliance of
guerrillas who reject the accord resumed hostilities.

African Union and U.N. officials say the army has suffered
heavy losses and the government does not want that made public.

Last month U.N. mission head Jan Pronk was expelled after
saying the army had suffered two major defeats at the hands of
the rebels.

SUDAN DENIES BLOCKING MEDIA

Sudan denies it prevents reporting. It has regularly issued
permits for journalists to go to Darfur, but said on Tuesday it
had temporarily stopped doing so. One official said that was to
smooth procedures for journalists arriving in Darfur.

Khartoum and Darfur authorities do not always appear to see
eye-to-eye.

A foreign TV crew last month was detained after authorities
in Darfur's main town el-Fasher said they did not recognize the
Interior Ministry stamp extending their visas. A Western
newspaper reporter was detained for a day on the grounds
Khartoum officials had made a typing error on his travel
permit.

Sudan has reimposed censorship on the country's own
independent papers although its new constitution enshrines
press freedom. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders
said at least 15 journalists had been arrested this year.

"The Sudanese media, especially Arabic newspapers, toe the
government line on key issues such as Darfur," said Peter
Takirambudde, Africa director of Human Rights Watch.

The country head and Darfur coordinator of Medecins Sans
Frontieres Holland were arrested last year after the group
published a report on hundreds of rapes in Darfur. Khartoum
denies rape is widespread.

Authorities also obstruct aid staff working in Darfur with
a myriad permit requests, although Khartoum has promised in
writing to provide free access for the humanitarian community.

"They make it very clear. They want to drastically reduce
the number of NGOs in Darfur, and regain control," said one
Western aid worker who asked to remain anonymous to protect her
organization, which is under threat of expulsion.

The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission.