HUDO Centre Date: 20th March 2019 No: H.K/PR/20/019 PRESS STATEMENT (For immediate release) INTIMIDATION OF COMMUNITY BASED ORGANISATION (CBO) BY NISS IN DAMAZIN - SUDAN On 3rd February 2019, soldiers from NISS Damazin raided Shalli Women Association and stopped their meeting. NISS also threatened to revoke the association’s license citing reasons of involvement in Christian missionary activities. Shalli Elfeel Women Association is a community based organization (CBO) for women established in 2017.Their activities include civic education and health in Blue Nile State. Shalli is a name of a certain suburb in Kurmuk town of Blue Nile. On 3rd February 2019 around 11:00 AM, a group of NISS soldiers came to Shalli Association Office as the board of directors meeting was going on. NISS soldiers forced the participants to end/stop the meeting and threatened them not to conduct any other meetings or implement any activities unless they get permission from the state security/ NISS. If not, NISS promised to arrest them and revoke their license. NISS accused them of carrying out Christian missionary work and receiving foreign funds. Since then, the CBO has frozen their activities and the movement of members is limited. HUDO is very concerned about the status of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in conflict areas and the valid Humanitarian Act and emergency state in Sudan. HUDO calls upon;  Sudan government to respect its international obligations towards civil society.  Sudan government should amend the Humanitarian Act in favor of civil society contribution and end the emergency state.  NISS in Damazin to stop intimidating civil society institutions. End For more information please write to: hudo2009@gmail.com