U.S. Embassy in Sudan warns Americans in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The U.S. Embassy in Sudan said Tuesday that nonessential staff and family have been authorized to leave the country due to uncertain security conditions following the expulsion of aid groups from the Darfur region.

The United States and the U.N. have sharply criticized Sudan's decision to expel 13 of the largest aid groups working in Darfur in response to last week's International Criminal Court indictment against the Sudanese president on war crimes in the war-ravaged western region. President Omar al-Bashir has threatened to kick out more aid agencies as well as diplomats and peacekeepers.

The U.S. Embassy said nonessential personnel and family members could leave Sudan if they want to and warned Americans to avoid traveling to Africa's largest country, according to a message posted on its Web site.

The Embassy said it has received information on terrorist threats aimed at American and European interests in Sudan. It provided no details but also warned that protests against the ICC warrant could turn violent.

"Recent protests have featured sharp anti-Western rhetoric. There is a continuing possibility that ongoing protests may encourage violent action against Europeans and Americans," the message said.

Many fear the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir could unleash violence in Darfur against peacekeepers and civilians.

A Sudanese newspaper with close ties to the government published a statement Tuesday from several hard-line Islamist groups and Arab militia in Darfur, sanctioning attacks against the ICC prosecutor and Darfur rebel leaders. The statement published in Akher Lahza included groups that have endorsed violence in the past but have never carried out attacks.

A U.N.-African Union peacekeeper remained in serious condition Tuesday after half a dozen gunmen opened fire on a group of soldiers in Darfur, said U.N.-AU mission spokesman Noureddine Mezni. The ambush in western Darfur was the first reported violence against peacekeepers since the warrant was issued March 4.

The Netherlands-based ICC accuses al-Bashir of leading a counterinsurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities against civilians. Up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million driven from their homes in the conflict since 2003, according to the U.N.

Al-Bashir rejects the charges and has accused the aid groups of cooperating with the court, which he says is a new brand of colonialism.

Sudan's State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun said Tuesday it was "premature" to talk about any gaps left by the expelled aid groups in Darfur. His comments come a day after the U.N. said it would try to fill life-threatening gaps left by the expelled groups but its agencies and other aid organizations don't have the resources to fully replace them.

"They (the U.N.) have to work according to the new reality dictated by the government decision," said Haroun, who also was indicted by the ICC on war crimes in Darfur in 2007. Sudan has refused to hand him over to the court.