Darfur Boots UN Official

A UN official in charge of humanitarian efforts in Darfur has been ousted from the war-torn region of Sudan, the UN said yesterday. The state's governor accused the official, Wael al-Haj Ibrahim, of violating "the rules of humanitarian action." But both UN officials and members of Ibrahim's organization say they are skeptical over the justification, the BBC reports.

The expulsion occurred just weeks after Ibrahim objected to the government's forced relocation of more than 1,000 refugees at gunpoint. A UN spokeswoman has expressed "extreme" concern over the ramifications of Ibrahim's absence, indicating that for the 2 million displaced men, women, and children in Darfur today, a crucial advocate has been lost. (More United Nations stories.)