By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has expelled the head of aidagency Medecins Sans Frontieres from the South Darfur regionfor refusing to cooperate with an investigation into aid agencymisconduct, a Sudanese humanitarian official said on Thursday.
Banu Altunbas, of MSF Holland, is the most senior aidworker expelled this year from Darfur, scene of the world'slargest humanitarian operation.
"She stopped the work of an investigation committee andrefused to cooperate with them," said Sorour Ahmed Abdallah,the head of the Humanitarian Aid Commission in South Darfur."Anyone working here should respect the sovereignty of thestate."
There was no immediate comment from Altunbas, now inKhartoum, or the country director of MSF Holland. Sources inthe aid community said talks had begun to try to allow her toreturn.
Sudan's government views aid workers with suspicion,accusing them of exaggerating the crisis in Darfur to linetheir pockets. It has frequently expelled them.
The aid operation in Darfur helps at least two-thirds ofDarfur's more than six million people. This week, the UnitedNations said the aid operation was under threat frominsecurity, which has forced ration cuts.
International experts estimate some 200,000 people havedied and 2.5 million been driven from their homes in Darfursince 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms accusingcentral government of neglect. Khartoum mobilised mostly Arabmilitia to quell the revolt.
In 2005 the Darfur head and country director of MSF Hollandwere arrested on charges of crimes against the state,publishing false reports and spying.
The organisation had released a report documentingwidespread rape cases they had treated in Darfur. Khartoumdenies that rape is common in its remote west.
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
